tell no lies
by purdys pal
Summary: tell me where the bible is or we take this to the next level. Michael Westen is in trouble.  First story now completed.
1. Chapter 1

The car stopped next to the over turned SUV, they dragged Barret's body out of the vehicle, then as one took the body, throwing it into the trunk of the car. The other went around the other side of the crashed vehicle. Michael Westen felt a hand on his throat, fingers pressing down, he let out a groan.

"He's alive."

"Bring him." Michael was dragged up, and flung over the man's shoulder. Carried to the car and thrown into the trunk with the dead body.

He remembered nothing of the journey, the movement was causing more blood loss. He expected to die.

He only had a faint memory of being dragged from the car and receiving rough but effective medical care.

When he became fully awake, they kept him handcuffed to the bed. He had no idea how long he had been out, where he was or who was in charge. Nobody spoke to him, the curtains were kept closed, when he started to demand answers and tried to resist they sedated him.

He must have been given the all clear as far as his medical condition. As he was taken shackled wrist and ankles and blind folded out of his bed and to another room. Forced into a chair, then strapped down. Wrists, elbows, ankles and around the waist. He wasn't going anywhere.

The blindfold was whipped off and he was almost blinded by a strong light shining directly into his eyes. He had no idea how long they left him unable to move, the light so powerful even with his eyes shut it still seemed to bright. He ached from the tightness of straps that held him so still, he could not even move a little to ease the pressure. He knew it was an interrogation technique, make your captive feel completely helpless. Who ever it was that had him had done a good job.

He didn't realise the was somebody else in the room until his head was jerked up by fingers tight in his hair.

"Open your eyes." The order was barked. The fingers tightened, pulling at his scalp.

He resisted. He felt a breathe in his ear. "Open your eyes." Hissed the voice. "Or I'll have them taped open." Came the threat.

Squinting he tried to keep his eyes open. The grip on his head relaxed, he received a pat, "Good boy."

"Where am I?" Michael asked, his voice was hoarse.

"Who do you work for?" his interrogator asked.

"I am freelance." He answered. "Why am I here?" He tried again to get a response.

"Who gave you the bible?"

"First, tell me where I am." Michael countered. He suddenly found he couldn't breathe a thin rope was around his neck. He couldn't fight it, everything started to go black. He gagged and gasped.

Then it stopped, he continued to gasp his eyes watering. But when he closed his eyes and kept his head down, he had his head dragged up.

"Open your eyes Mr Westen. And tell me who gave you the bible?"

"I got it from a safe deposit box in a bank." He was still gasping for breathe and the light was hurting his eyes and causing a splitting headache.

"How did you find out about Mr Barret?"

"Simon." He tried to look away and received a warning cuff around the head.

"Keep your head up and eyes open Mr Westen. Simon Escher?"

"Yes.."

"So you know where Simon is held?"

"No."

"Mr Westen, this is your one warning. Answer the question where is Simon held."

"I don't know where he is now. I got to talk to him once that's all."

The only sound in the room was Michael's heavy breathing. He knew the was at least two others in the room with him. He flinched when the room went from bright light to pitch black. Faintly he heard a door open then shut. He guessed he was now alone. He sighed and waited.

He must of fallen asleep, because suddenly the door flew open and four men came in. An ordinary light came on .A Brief case was slammed onto the table in front of him it was opened. The were vials of liquids inside, also some droppers and siringes.

Michaels head was held firmly, another pulled his eye lid open a third man filled a dropper then put two drops of one vials into Michael's eye. They released him. As his eye began to sting and water.

The sting was beginning to turn to a burning sensation.

"Now Mr Westen, lets try again. Give me the location of Simon."

"I can only tell you where I saw him. I don't know where he is now." He gritted the words out as the pain in his eye got worse. "What have you done to me?"

"What else did Simon tell you?"

Michael let out a groan.

"Answer me or I'll up the pain to your other eye. Do you want to end up blind?"

"Only I should give the bible to Barret." He could barely speak through the pain.

"Why not to your employer's?" The questions kept coming.

"I don't work for anybody. I'm self employed."

The interrogator sighed. "Do his other eye." He ordered.

Michael heard the words and tried to struggle, he was held still, eye lid forced wide.

"Please." He heard himself beg. The dropper stopped close to his face.

"Who do you work for?"

"I don't know who they are, they came to me, trapped me into working for them." He gasped, waiting to see if what he said was enough. The dropper was put back into the case, the others let go of his head.

"Very well Mr Westen, that will be all today." He then spoke to the others. "Treat his eye, then put him in his cell."

They bathed his eye and treated it with another set of drops. Releasing him from the chair they half dragged, half carried him out of the room and along the corridor. He could barely see and his legs wouldn't support all his weight. He knew he couldn't escape, at least not at the moment.

He was taken to a windowless cell. The floor walls and ceiling were all the same bare concrete.

The was a thin ham sandwich waiting for him along with a plastic cup of water. They left him on the cold floor with his small meal. It was only then he realised he was dressed only in an open backed hospital gown.

The was no light and no sound, he was in pain, his eye still hurt, his head hurt and his limbs felt weak. He had no idea how long he had been in a hospital bed, where he was or who held him.

He wondered what had happened to Fi, Sam his mother, did they think he was dead? Were they looking for him? He was the closest to breaking that he had ever been. Barret had promised him a world of pain and he guessed he was now living it. He lay shivering waiting for what they had planned next.

He had no idea how long he lay their shivering, they came in, dragged him out to the showers. They washed him down with a cold shower and then threw him an old towel to dry himself. They gave him a prison jumpsuit to put on and he got a beating for taking to long, his fingers fumbling from the cold and fatigue. He was then put back in his cell. The was another sandwich and glass of water waiting for him.

No one spoke to him, they took him out of the cell at random intervals. Sometimes to the shower block, sometimes to a small grass covered yard, his only chance to go outside. He felt himself slipping away.

He guessed it was about two weeks since his first interrogation that he was back in the chair. He was angry that his body shook. Fear of the unknown, a powerful weapon.

"Who took the bible Mr Westen? We know you were conscious when it was taken."

Michael was surprised when he found it hard to form the words. He had been left alone in the cell with no one talk to and now he was unsure of his words.

"I- didn't see." He managed.

"Both eyes please." The man said and Michael screamed as he was held still his eyes forced open. Two drops into each eye and the pain started.

"Answer the question Mr Westen." The voice was as ever calm.

"I didn't see who took it you bastard." He almost screamed the words. His eyes felt like they were being burnt, tears poured down his face.

"Mr Westen, that is the wrong answer. Think carefully you do not me to take this to the next level."

"Fine it was a guy in black combats, a big guy. That's it."

"Better, now the rest."

"The is no more." He hung his head, then flung it back trying to do anything, something, about the pain.

"Hold Mr Westens head back please." Michael found his head forced as far back as it could be held.

"Give him a drink." The orders continued.

Michael was gagging and choking as water was poured into his mouth and nose, it seemed to go for ever. Then it stopped, he was allowed to pull his head forward.

"Mr Westen, I want you to think about how you will feel if I have to bring some of your friends and family in for questioning if you continue to be stubborn."

"Leave them alone if you-" Michael started, even in his present state he couldn't take threats to those he loved.

"I will do what ever it takes to get the answers I need." He nodded to the others in the room. "Again" He ordered. Michael was gagging on water again. They stopped when he started to go blue.

"Who has the bible Mr Westen?"

Michael didn't answer, he couldn't. He could barely breathe, his eyes still burnt, the water had washed out some of the eye drops but not all.

"Break his fingers then put him in his cell." The man left the room. He half smiled as he heard Michael cry out. By the next interview he was sure Westen would be broken. His eyesight would be a mess and the pain from the broken fingers should finish him off.

He thought he had reach the end of his tether, but they had shown him he could be forced lower.

The pain was almost unbearable and the threats to all those he loved. He tried to remember who had picked up the case, but he hadn't seen the man's face. He would have to lie, would that be enough to save everyone? Or would it make it worse when they discovered the lie. With both hands damaged he couldn't even reset his fingers he lay there in misery. The was no food, no water, no trips to the shower and no going out for fresh air. Just darkness and the cold concrete floor. He wondered if he would ever see Fi again or Sam. He had done it again to his Mother, left her to wonder if he was alive or dead.

By the time Fiona and Sam had managed to reach the over turned SUV it had burnt out. The were no bodies they heard that from the fire crew who had put out the flames.

The was hope Michael was alive they wouldn't of taken him otherwise. They tried the hospitals though they hadn't honestly expected to find Michael there.

Sam got on to his contacts trying to find out anything. He had no luck. Fiona went looking for Jesse but he was gone. After a week they had run out of ideas. Madeline was devastated, she had only just got him back and now it had happened again.

It was two weeks later that Madeline got up and found Jesse Porter stood in her kitchen. He held his arms wide away from his body a slight smile on his face trying to look unthreatening.

"Maddie, I think I know where Michael is. I need you to get me a meeting with Sam and Fi, without her shooting me on sight."

"You shot Michael." She accused

"It was meant to save him. I'm sorry. But Maddie I said I think I know where they are holding him."

Madeline was not sure about trusting Jesse but they couldn't ignore any lead to finding her son. She called Sam and told him to come round.

The atmosphere was frosty to say the least, Fiona's stare could of killed, Sam had to keep a warning grip on her arm. Given the chance she could of happily killed the younger man before her.

"I followed up on Barret, he had a boss. With Marv's help I found out they have a facility in Miami.

They call it a document storage building. The plans I managed to get hold of show it is made up of various smaller rooms and it has a basement. All the walls are reinforced. It's also got a lot of security for a document storage building."

They looked at him. Could they trust him.

"So how do you intend getting inside to see if Michaels there.?" Sam wanted to know.

"I need your help, expertise also if he is in there we don't know what condition he his going to be in."

Sam sighed. "Show me the plans, then we'll take a drive to look it over." He risked letting go of Fiona. When she stayed still he looked at her "Fiona we will probably need a lot of C4 do you want to check your supplies?"

She smiled, they would find Michael, they had a fresh lead, they would find him and she would get to blow a lot of stuff up. She practically skipped out of the house going of to her warehouse.

Sam and Jesse poured over the plans, the blue print of the building and a street map of the area. Jesse pointed out where he had seen the guards. One thing was clear he could not see how the three of them could successfully storm the building, get out in one piece and rescue Michael.

A trip out to look it over didn't inspire any more resolve in Sam. Both Fi and Jesse picked up on Sam's mood. "We would need a lot of help to get in there." Was his final comment.

Fiona was not going to be beaten. Her plan make them give Michael back. Cause them so much grief that they would want to deal. Jesse liked the idea. Sam thought it would fail.

They found a warehouse full of telecommunications equipment waiting to be shipped out. Fiona planted the C4 and the warehouse was gone, blown to pieces. Two nights later, Sam and Jesse stole an eighteen wheeler taking electrical conduit to the docks. They sunk it in the harbour.

Fiona then had the best luck, by asking all the right questions, mostly with threats and blackmail. She found where the was a large shipment of arms waiting to be sent to a war zone. Though disliking the idea of destroying so many pretty weapons she blew the building up and most of the surrounding buildings.

By now Sam thought they had caused the Company enough problems to sit back for a moment. Let them deal with the Police, ATF and the FBI. See if they got the message.

Fiona wanted to make sure they got the message. She sent a note to the document processing centre and a small disarmed letter bomb.

They got an answer the following day, the front of Madelines house was shot out in what looked like a drive by. Madeline was not at home Sam had sent her away, while they did this. After the drive by, Sam received a note attached to a small slice of C4 without a detonator.

Be at warehouse 18A Brayshore. 12.30 after dark.

Michael had spent the last few days left lying on the floor. Occasionally getting spoon fed a small amount of food or a sip of water. His hands were agony, his eyes so sore he couldn't see a thing.

He was laying prone when they came in, after the fist blow he tried to curl into a ball. They hit him with what felt like baseball bats. Mostly on his legs, though they got a couple of hits to his head and ribs. When it finally stopped he felt someone check for a pulse.

"He's still alive."

"Cuff him, and get him out of here."

Michael was in a kind of stupor, he was dragged into a van, a hood roughly pulled over his head. He had no idea how long he travelled for, he was incapable of judging time any more. His body shook and trembled, all he felt was pain all he wanted was to die. He couldn't fight any more.

Fiona, Sam, and Jesse waited at the warehouse. As it reached 12.30 a white van pulled up. Two men got out and backed away getting into a car that had followed.

While the two men stood guard, Fiona checked out the van. The was no obvious booby traps. She looked inside and gasped.

Sam ran over, "Jesus Christ." He sighed. Climbing inside he checked Michael over. "He needs help." A quick look had shown the extent of Michael's injuries. The original bullet wound was almost healed. But he had so many new injuries Sam was unsure where to start. His friend had very obviously been tortured. He then saw the folder. The was photos of them all, they showed where they lived, shopped, ate. WE WANT THE BIBLE DON'T TEST US ANY MORE.

So they got Michael back, but the warning was very clear. They knew they could not take him to a hospital. They had done their best to hide the fact that Michael had been kidnapped from Vaughn.

They had no idea how successful they had been. But Michael in hospital would be a give away.

They took their friend to the doctor, David, who they had helped in the past. Fiona, especially grateful to discover most of Michaels injuries were bruises. The mos serious injury to his eyes, the was concern about his vision. The dehydration and starvation would be corrected with fluids. Sam knew that Michael would possibly suffer the effects of the torture for sometime. He would talk to Fiona later about that.

What was clear? They had to find the bible again. Whoever had held Michael knew who they all were. Had almost killed Michael and would probably finish the job if they didn't comply.


	2. Chapter 2

I do own burn notice or any of the characters.

Chapter two.

He woke slowly, fearing it was a dream. He was on a soft mattress, the was a pleasant breeze against his skin. He felt clean for the first time in, in a very long time. A hand touched his cheek and he flinched, panic welling up.

"Shh, Michael it's OK. You're safe." It was fiona's voice. "You're home, you can rest now."

He groaned and moved his head from side to side. "My eyes, Fi I -" He couldn't bring himself to say he couldn't see.

"They're going to be fine the Doctor, David, you remember him? said they have to stay covered for now." She spoke softly trying to calm him. " He washed them out, it was some sort of irritant. He reset your fingers and you're on some pretty strong painkillers." She ran her fingers through his longer than usual hair. "Go back to sleep I'm here." She coaxed.

She stayed with him as he fell back to sleep. Gently caressing his cheek, soothing him as if he was a child. In her mind she was trying to work out how they were going to tell him he was now trapped between two warring factions with no idea who was who.

The photographs that had been left with his body was a stark warning, that they were all at risk.

What had been more frightening was Michael's reaction to David's examination. Barely conscious he had put up such a fight he had to be sedated before the Doctor could get near him. He didn't know where he was and wouldn't believe they were trying to help him.

Vaughn was another problem, they had seen his men lurking around. So far they had put him off, but soon Michael was going to have to face him. She wondered now how he would cope. It wasn't only his physical condition that worried her. The doctor had said he would make a full recovery, but she had seen victims of torture before, in Ireland. Some were never the same afterwards.

"Fi, I thought I heard voices, how is he?" She turned to face Madeline.

"He woke up for a moment." She tried to smile.

"I'm making coffee, come and have a drink and something to eat."

"I should stay with him." Fiona turned back to the sleeping figure.

Madeline came into her son's room and lent down wrapping her arms around the tiny woman feeling how frail she had become. Before they had rescued Michael, Fiona had been like a tornado, never still and leaving devastation where ever she went. Now she was still, and the strain she had been under showed. Even Sam had noticed and had convinced her to watch over Michael while he and Jesse tried to find out anything about the bible.

"He's resting, and you need to eat or you'll be no good to him when he needs you." Madeline spoke softly. She gently pulled Fiona up, leading her into the lounge. "We'll hear him if he stirs." She promised.

"The only way I can see we're going to get anywhere with this damn bible is if Mike can get something from Vaughn." Sam looked across the table at Jesse. They were taking a lunch break at Carlito's.

The younger man nodded glumly. He and Sam had gone through every bit of paper he had on Barret's people. They were trying to find any clue to the identity of the third party who had taken the bible from the crashed car. Sam had used his contacts to get a look at the closest CCTV cameras to where the gun battle that had taken place hoping to see which way the mystery man had gone. But some one had got to them before him.

"Vaughn's going to know for sure Mike hasn't just been recovering from a bullet wound when he sees him. The is hardly an inch of the man not bruised." The younger man commented.

"We should go and see how he is doing," Sam decided. He was not keen on leaving the others alone for any length of time. Fiona was perfectly capable of dealing with any danger but it wasn't the same as him being there himself.

This time when he woke up he knew he was safe. He could hear voices coming from the lounge.

He reached up with his very sore hands and gingerly uncovered his eyes. The pads came away easily once he pulled the tape off. He gritted his teeth as pain pulsed through his hands from trying to use his broken fingers. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes, daylight instantly set up a throbbing headache but he persisted and looked around. Everything was ringed with red and his eyes streamed sending tears down his cheeks. Next he attempted to sit up, his plan to get up, he had spent to long lying down unable to make his own decisions.

"Michael what do you think you are doing!" He could just make out a fuzzy image of his mother in the doorway.

"Getting up." He told her his voice little more than a whisper.

"No you're not." Fiona flew into the room pushing him back down. Batting his hands out of the way as she tried to put fresh dressings onto his eyes. "Are you trying to blind yourself." She snapped.

He lay back, he didn't have the strength to fight her. As she finished fixing the tape over the dressing he sighed, "Fi, Fiona I can't stay laid up I need to be up and helping you and Sam. They did not just let me go, they must expect something in return. What is it?"

"You have to lie still and let your eyes heal." She tried to dodge his question.

"I'll stay put, but answer my question. Why did they let me go?"

"Me and Sam," She paused "And Jesse, found where we thought you were being held. We caused them a lot of trouble, cost them quite a bit of money. They gave you back to us." She paused again. Trying to speak lightly, hoping he would, for now be satisfied with the bare facts.

"Jesse, is helping us?" He had thought Jesse shot him, maybe he was mistaken.

"He came to us. I was going to kill him. But Sam stopped me. I'm grateful he did now, as with Jesse's help we found out who had you and persuaded them to let you go." She gently kissed his forehead.

Before she could say more they heard the click of the front door being opened. Madeline's head swung round to the sound then relaxed as she saw Sam and Jesse. Fiona, her hand reaching for the gun she kept in her waistband stopped when she noticed Madeline's reaction. "It's the boys." Madeline told her. She then moved out of the way to let Sam into the room.

"How ya doing Mikey?" Sam kept his tone cheery.

"I'll be better when I'm allowed up." Michael complained.

" The doc's going to call round later give you another look over. See what he says humour us till then please."

"OK, fine." He grudgingly agreed.

" How long was I gone?" He had so many questions.

Sam was glad Mike could not see his face, he knew he had to tell the truth, but wondered what effect it would have on his friend.

"Sam?" Michael wasn't sure he was still in the room.

"Sorry five weeks Mike, you were gone for five weeks."

"Is that all." He sighed "Where does Vaughn think I've been all this time? If he knows what happened." He didn't finish the sentence.

"No we hid it. Convinced him you were recovering from being shot. He wants to see you though."

"Sam I want to get up." He changed the subject. "I've been lying down too long."

"Fine, but just into the lounge." Sam could understand that he needed to take back some control over his life.

"Get me some clothes." He kicked off the covers and swung his legs slowly and carefully out of bed and onto the floor. He let Sam help him into a pair of jeans and a t shirt that Sam had found in one of the drawers. The clothes hung off him showing exactly how much weight he had lost.

"We're going to have to fatten you up Mikey." Sam tried to joke.

Standing up Michael ignored the remark he could only guess how he looked. If was anything like he felt it had to be pretty bad. He swayed disorientated from not being able to see, he almost fell when he tried to take a step.

"Jesus, Mike take it easy let me help you." He slipped his shoulder under Michael's arm and helped him slowly into the lounge. He chose to ignore the death glares he received from Mike's mother and from Fi.

"He would of just got himself up if I'd said no." Sam defended himself.

Once he was sat down and had been made to have a drink and a bite to eat, he insisted they told him all that had happened while he was gone. He smiled at the image of Fiona being allowed to unleash her inner terrorist. It amazed him what they had done to get him back. It made him determined that he would keep them all safe. The man who had interrogated him had threatened to bring in all these people and torture them to get him to talk. To identify a person he hadn't even seen. A shudder went through his body. He quickly brought his emotions under control.

_As a spy you are taught to lie. You are encouraged to practice. If you are really good you even lie successfully to yourself._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own burn notice or the characters.

Chapter three.

"I tell you Fi he's being to quiet." Sam was worried.

Michael had been back for three days now and had hardly spoken a word to any of them. He had spent most of his time either in his old bedroom or sat out in the backyard. David, the doctor they had helped not so long ago had visited everyday and declared that all he needed now was food and if at all possible rest.

"He's been through a lot. He just needs a couple of days to pull himself together that's all." Fiona replied. Masking her own concerns with a smile.

"No Fi you don't understand. I've seen him like this before. It did not end well."

"What do you suggest?"

"I know you're not going to agree. He needs a kick up the butt. He is a trained operative. We've both seen him in worse shape physically and keep going." He held up a hand. "Apart from that, he should be kept busy, because I can't see him sitting down and talking about what happened can you?"

She shook her head. "Vaughn has been pushing more and more for a meeting. Maybe next time he calls Michael should answer the phone."

"Yeah, and we should stop doing everything for him too." Sam gave her a smile.

Both Fiona and Madeline had been waiting on Michael constantly since he had come home. At first Sam had found it funny that a few days earlier Fiona had been blowing warehouses up and shooting guns and now she was coaxing an ex spy to eat up all his veg and making sure he had drunk enough water.

She laughed at this, it was true. Somehow she had been sucked into a sort of competition with Michael's mother. The pair of them falling over each other to care for him.

"You can tell Maddie." She told him.

Michael was propped up against the wall in his bedroom. The folder filled with all the intelligence he and Jesse had gathered on his lap. David had given him the all clear to remove the dressings that had covered his eyes. Though he probably would not of approved of his patient pouring over paperwork for hours at a time. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut trying to ease the throbbing pain that was building in his head. He could find nothing that hinted at a third party who would know about the book code, and how did they find out about the hand off.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his door and Fiona coming in.

"Me and Sam are going to the gun range, feel like coming?"

He gave her a bitter little smile and lifted up his hands, fingers on both splinted. "I don't think I'd be much use. Do you?"

"Nonsense Michael." She dismissed his words, searching the floor for his trainers. "I have seen you shoot a gun with broken fingers before."

He raised an eyebrow. "Once. And it was with two broken fingers not all of them. I'll give it a miss."

She found his footwear and slapped his feet onto the floor. "You can come and keep us company then." She took the folder, shutting it and dropped it onto his dresser. "This isn't a request."

Sighing, wondering what had bought on this change of attitude. He pushed his feet into the trainers, and stood up. Taking the offered sunglasses he followed her out to the car only half listening to her telling him about her latest gun deal. He watched them at the shooting range and allowed them to drag him to an out of the way bar for a beer afterwards. Half way through the day trip he realised what they were doing and tried to enjoy himself. It was hard as he felt he was being watched even though he couldn't see who by.

Later that evening after Michael had excused himself and gone to bed the others sat up. They had got used to doing this over the last few weeks. Then it had been to go over intelligence and making plans of attack. Now a relaxing silence took over the group. For now they were all together, no one more hurt now than they had been at the beginning of the day.

After a time though the silence was broken by Jesse. "Does Mike have a plan of action yet?"

"No, or if he has he's not sharing." Sam took a swig of his bottle of beer.

"It's just it's been more than a few days now and -"

"Give him time Jesse." Fi snapped.

"He has a point Fi, we need him focussed. Because we've not got a hope of figuring this out by ourselves." Sam defended the younger man.

"Are you forgetting it was you that carried him in here unconscious." Madeline felt the need to stand up for her son. "And you had to hold him down so David could treat him."

"No Maddie I've not forgotten, but Mike won't thank you for mollycoddling him and putting everyone in danger." Sam told her off, but spoke softly to take the sting out of the words.

Madeline treated him to a hard stare, keeping eye contact she lit up a cigarette. "Are you telling me a navy seal, a counter intelligence agent and a gun dealer cannot work this out without my son however injured he is?" Her gaze covered them all now.

"That's right Maddie, we need him." Sam answered for them all.

"Well that is just ridiculous." She retorted before going outside. Over the last year she had decided that sometimes it was better not to know what her son was involved in.

In the bedroom Michael had not gone to bed, he was back looking at the folder. He had heard their words and an idea was forming in his head.

When Vaughn rang first thing in the morning. Sam hit the loud speaker key on the cell and gestured to Michael to speak to his handler.

With a glare, he took the call. He managed to contain his anger at the man whose actions had started the gun battle that had got him shot. He even agreed to a face to face meeting the following day much to Sam's dismay.

Meeting Vaughn was going to be a problem. Michael knew it. He also knew it had to be done. He blocked out the objections of everyone of his friends. They had after all wanted him to take charge.

He promised them he would be careful. After he explained his plan. They grudgingly conceded he was being sensible. Or at least not totally reckless.

He picked a bar in the middle of the day, lots of witnesses if they tried to kill him. Lots of potential

victims and a spot on the news if they tried to grab him off the street.

He knew how bad he looked, Fi had made it very plain to him when he told them what he planned. She trimmed his hair and gave him a shave. He would never appear at a meeting unshaven and scruffy.

Black wrap round sun glasses hid his eyes effectively and protected them from the sunlight that hurt them so much.

Though not his normal style, loose fitting casual clothing helped disguise the weight loss and meant he could hide his hands in the pockets.

The rest, the pallor and the new lines on his face, he had to hope Vaughn would think was from the effects of the bullet wound.

Fi drove him to the meeting early so he could be sat at a table waiting. Sam had taken up position close by to provide back up if necessary.

Michael sat uncomfortably in his chair waiting at the table, scanning the crowd. He soon spotted his expensively dressed handler pushing through the crowd.

"Finally, we thought you had run out on us." Vaughn was his usual jovial self. He held out his hand, shark like fake smile in place, but dropped both when Michael refused to shake his hand.

Michael gave a fake smile of his own. "Maybe if you had stuck to the original plan I wouldn't of got shot. And we wouldn't be having this conversation." He retorted.

"Old news Michael, we want to know who has the bible now?"

"Jesse is helping me again, we're going through everything he has. But it would go faster if you could tell us who else might be after the book code."

"Michael, with the bible gone. Your mission has failed we are thinking that maybe we over estimated your abilities. Did you tell us everything Simon had to say on the subject?"

"I told you everything he told me." He lied smoothly.

Vaughn looked him over, it was unnerving. "Tell you what Michael I'll go and see what I can find out. You look a little tired." He got up. "You stay there. I'll call in a day or so."

He called for his car, as he got inside he opened his cell. "Find out which Doctor treated Westen, I think he was injured more than his letting on."

"So that's over with." Michael commented as he gently lowered himself back into the car.

"You didn't learn anything Michael." Fi pulled away, heading back to Madeline's. "And you have worn yourself out." She pointed out.

"It had to be done. Now he'll leave us alone at least for a few days." He rested his head back and let out a sigh. "Fi, lets go to the loft for a while."

"Madeline's is safer."

"Please Fi, it's never quiet there." He faced her, "I'd like just for a little while, it to just be the two of us."

"For a while." She agreed.

She had to help him up the stairs, then once inside he took the sun glasses off and leant against her.

Gently holding her in his arms he kissed the top of her head.

"I know I'm not the best patient," he whispered "But I missed you so much."

She sunk into the kiss up until he gasped as her arms wrapped around his waist. A reminder of all his bruises. "Michael," she broke the kiss. "I don't think-"

"It's OK Fi, I'm not really up to much more than a kiss, but I thought -"

"When you are better." She stroked his cheek. "It'll be a date."

He nodded, turning his attention to his other reason for wanting to come to the loft.

"Why do you need that?" She asked.

Going though various drawers he had eventually dragged out an old wallet.

"I like to have a wallet, that's all." He blatantly lied.

She didn't pull him on it. She would just steal it later and find out why he wanted it. He was seemed almost back to his old self. They spent an hour sitting, talking and sharing the occasional kiss. She began to hope it could turn out all right.

Later back at Madeline's they ate a nice meal of take out. For the first time since coming home Michael ate his meal without his mother watching his every mouthful. He did not have Fiona constantly topping up his glass of water and neither of them glared at Sam when the Ex navy seal offered him a beer.

Afterwards Michael sat down with Jesse to try and come up with any sort of useful intelligence. Eventually Michael pushed the folder across the table anger and frustration bubbling to the surface.

"This is useless." He stood up, "I'm going to bed."

He was angry, but not for the reason they thought. Back in his room he dug out the old wallet. It held every business card he had been given since arriving in Miami. He sorted through them all until he found the one he wanted. He sat staring at it for an age. This was why he was angry, he had hoped not to have to make this call. If that damn folder had held a single piece of useful intel he would not have to make this phone call.

"It's not going well is it?" Madeline commented, she sat at the table across from Jesse.

"No Maddie it's not." Sam replied. He moved the folder even further away. "The are so many damn players in this game and no way of telling who is who."

Fiona walked to the table and took a seat. "What if he can't do this, if it is to much?"

"Not you to Fi, he's depressed, he's been through hell, but what's your excuse." Sam was feeling a bit frayed himself.

"I mean," she said "what if we all ran. Me and Jesse got to the Bahamas not so long ago. With false passports we could get a lot further." She warmed to her theme. "Ireland is out of course but South America is nice I've heard. If they found us at all, it would take them weeks and Michael would be better-"

"No Fi," He stopped her flow. "Do you seriously think we're not being watched. Michael is on all the blacklists. And what about Maddie?" Her idea, shot down in flames. "What do you think they would do to us all if either side caught us trying to get hold of false passports?"

The phone call did not go as badly as he had expected it to. In fact after a bit of apologizing he got what he wanted.

He looked at the phone, a puzzled expression on his face. It had been far to easy. He lay back on the bed flicking the business card against his teeth. A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

_If you don't give me what I want I will rain bloody hell down on you, and I am very, very good at raining down hell. _ You would think that someone who knows me would remember that.

It's not something I've done recently, but all the same. My feelings are hurt. Just like my eyes. Just like my fingers.

_The is part of me that is like him, but it is only a part and the longer I am with you the smaller it gets. _Until now.

It has been four years since I got dumped in Miami. It strikes me a lot of people who should know better. Have forgotten who I was, what I have done for this country.

_Don't forget I'm pretty dangerous too. _ Especially when you leave me no way out.

They either hadn't done their homework, or thought everything in the burn notice was fake.

_Do you think I would_n't_ end you to save myself? _They'll never make that mistake again.

_Have _they forgotten about the people I've lied to or betrayed?

_That's not you Michael, that's not the man I raised. _Sorry ma, you're wrong. That's exactly the son you raised.

Making that type of mistake on a character judgement, well that gets you killed.

Tomorrow he would look to confirm the gut feeling he had, if he was right he could confirm it in a day. Nobody threatened his family and friends and lived long enough to regret it.

Carla had done it as a last desperate act. Management had turned him loose rather than try it.

He put the card into an old hiding place. Fiona would probably steal the wallet before the morning, hoping to find out what he was up to.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four.

Sam and Fiona sat at the dining room table again. It was three in the morning, Madeline had been in bed for hours, Jesse was either asleep or checking out his latest theory. Trying to find out who had taken the case containing the bible and at least part of the cipher. Fiona had relieved Michael of the mysterious wallet half an hour earlier. Sneaking into his room while he slept, she had found it buried in his dirty washing pile. He was definitely slipping if he thought that was a good hiding place. Now they sat looking at a stack of business cards.

"This is going to take some time." Fiona picked up a couple of the cards. "This is from that guy with the daughter in the cult from two years ago." She waved it in one hand. "He is a plumber by the way. And this one" She held in her other hand. "Is from the guy Seymour put us in touch with over that special ammunition Michael wanted." She threw them both onto the table.

"Lets sort them out, find the ones that Mike might think can help with this problem." Sam suggested. "Lets stick to ones that can supply intel or manpower."

The pile was still to big to come up with a name. But some of the names there were downright scary. From criminals they had dealt with, to assets who were still talking to Michael from his spy days.

Fiona looked at her watch and then messed up all cards before slipping them back into the wallet. That had not been as much help as she had hoped. Very frustrating.

"If he won't tell us what he is doing you are going to have to check out his cell phone." She told him.

She got up to return the wallet to it's hiding spot. It was just before dawn. If she had looked a little closer she would of noticed Michael's smirking face hidden by the bed covers. The cell phone he used for that particular person was with the business card and neither was in his dirty washing pile.

Seven O clock in the morning and she was the only one up. Madeline had felt Fiona climb into the bed they had shared since Michael's kidnapping as the sun was beginning to peep through the curtains. She could hear Sam's snores coming from Nate's old room. She hummed to herself as she filled up the coffee machine. Even though she knew it was only because it was too dangerous for them all to be at their own homes she still loved having a full house. With coffee on the way she collected the newspaper from the doorstep, went to her favourite chair in the sun room and switched on the TV, the volume low so as not to disturb her sleeping guests. Just before she sat down she gathered up her morning tablets putting them into a small cup and placed them on the table beside her chair along with a glass of water. She went to sit down.

She stared at the scene being broadcast into her home, an unlit cigarette in her mouth, one hand on the arm of her chair the other holding the paper. She fell back into the chair and dropping the newspaper onto the floor.

"MICHAEL!" She shrieked.

Three heads shot up off their pillows:

Fiona heard the panicked cry and came out of the bed a pistol in each hand, dressed in tiny shorts and a tank top she was first on the scene. Arms out in front of her covering every aspect of the room eyes wide.

Sam also shot from his bed, he was not quite as fast but he left his room pump action shotgun cocked and ready for business.

Michael sat up in his bed cursing as he caught his fingers in the bed sheet. He could hear his usual cell vibrating on the bed side dresser. He was torn as what to do. His mother's shout tore at his heart telling him to rush out to save her. His head told him to answer the phone, Sam and Fi would be dealing with any threat to his mother far better than he could.

His head won out, the was no shots being fired so he guessed his mother was just over reacting to something as usual. He hit the answer key.

"Michael meet me in an hour at that favourite cafe of yours. No Sam Axe and no Fiona Glenanne. We don't want a repeat of this mornings top news story do we?" It was vaughn's suave over friendly voice. He hung up, throwing the phone across the room and he bolted out the door.

Madeline was crying, Michael could count on the fingers of one hand how many times he had seen his mother cry. Even when being punched by her husband she had not cried if either of her sons were in the room.

"Ma." He knelt down beside her. "Ma what is it?" He had not looked at the TV until she pointed at it.

The was a sound of sirens coming from the set, a woman's voice told the watching audience how at six thirty am an explosion had rocked the Homestead community, bringing devastation to the local medical centre. It was feared the two doctors who ran the centre were both dead. The bodies of a man and a woman had been found in the office. It was believed that improperly stored oxygen tanks had caused the dreadful accident. The police were unlikely to be looking for any suspects, it was expected to be ruled as negligence.

Michael began to swear in several different languages. He was on his feet, pacing back and forth.

"Mike don't over react." Sam had lowered the shotgun. One hand had gone to his chin his eyes filled with worry.

Michael swung to face him, his expression furious, mouth curved into a deadly smile. Eyes like steel.

"Over react." He spat the words back at his friend. "Vaughn has just killed two innocents to make a point."

"How do you know it was Vaughn?" Fiona asked, her weapons had disappeared. Her hand on Madeline's shoulder.

"He rang me a minute after it came on the news that's how I know, and now I've got an hour to sort this mess out before I meet him alone at Carlito's."

He realised what he had said. The call had happened as his mother had screamed. They were listening. He opened the blinds enough to peer out onto the street sure enough there was a plain sedan car parked out front, he didn't have see the directional microphone to know they were using one.

"I thought I heard maddie scream -" Jesse burst through the kitchen door, sliding to a stop as Sam's shotgun came up aimed at his chest.

"You did." Sam told him. But his eyes were still on Michael. "Vaughn just sent Mike a message."

"What's happened?" Jesse looked around the room, Michael at the window, Sam across the room, shotgun now back pointing downwards, Fi and Madeline staring at the TV.

"It was Vaughn." Michael growled. "He's murdered David and Lauren to make a point." He closed the blinds as the car drove away.

"Jesus" Jesse ran a hand over his head. "What are you going to do.?"

Michael ignored the question. _What was he going to do? What ever he had to do to end this._

"I need to get ready for my meeting." He was calm now at least outwardly.

"Mike you're not going to that meeting. Not alone." Sam was in front of his friend determination showing in his every pore.

Michael looked from Sam to Jesse. He had a vision of Simon's beaten face reciting the gospel at him. That was not going to be his future. Nor was the alternative, where he had just come from.

"Yes I am Sam, it's a public place the is probably more danger being here than at that meeting. He wants an explanation that's all." He pushed using the heels of his hands against Sam's shoulders. Moving the bigger man out of way. Sam knew the was no point arguing. He backed down.

Michael headed to his room to get ready. He had one final comment on the matter. "Ma I'm going to have to take your car." It was an automatic. No gears, a lot easier when you could barely hold a steering wheel.

Michael came out of his room dressed for going out. He had removed the tape splinting his fingers. No point giving Vaughn any more reason to think he was incapacitated. Madeline had retired to her room still in shock at seeing her friends killed.

"Lock this place down." He told them, "and run a sweep for bugs. In case anyone else is listening."

He hoped that would be enough to keep them busy and away from his meeting.

Vaughn was supremely confident. The foolish doctor had thought he could reason his way out of an interrogation. Ridiculous really, and he had supposedly spent time in all sorts of hotspots. Still he had found out that Michael Westen had been in enemy hands for at least five weeks. That he had been lied to by a washed out drunk and a reportedly psychotic gun runner for so long, had maybe pushed him to an extreme reaction. He had the two idealistic doctors heavily sedated and left in their medical centre, which he then had blown up. A message to bring Westen into line. A reminder of who he should fear more.

Michael walked into the meeting barely concealing his anger. Two of Vaughn's lackeys attempted to search him but he pushed passed. The street even at eight thirty am was too busy for a scene.

"You lied Michael." Vaughn spoke all reason and calm.

"You murdered two innocent civilians." Not so calm or reasonable.

"We want the bible, the cipher and the sooner you get it the more of your associates might live." Still calm but now threatening. Smile firmly in place, teeth bared.

"Are you sure you want to do it this way Vaughn?" Michael bared his own teeth a dazzling smile that didn't reach the eyes.

"Do your job Michael and nobody else has to suffer. Forty eight hours to get results and we will be watching you." He got to his feet. "We had such high hopes for you Michael, but we are out of patience." Was his final word.

Michael watched Vaughn walk away flanked by his bodyguards. Michael narrowed his eyes and reached into his pocket. He pressed one on the cell phone's speed dial.

"You got eyes on him."

He listened to the response.

"Good, glad you could get here so quick. I'm really grateful for this you know." He told the person on the other end.

_Yeah you got here quick. Managed to set up a team as well, that's good going .I'm impressed. Hope you will be too._

Michael got up and headed back home a smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five,

_the most trusted intelligence, is the intelligence you gather yourself. You know where it has come from and you know how reliable the source is._

When Michael had told him to sweep for bugs Sam had done as he was ordered. He had made sure that the house was completely clean. Then he had got out his own set of listening devices and bugged Michael's bedroom.

Michael was his friend, he trusted him with his life. However Michael didn't always know when to stop, he could get carried away in the moment and his moral compass could fail. As much as he hated it sometimes Mikey needed someone to pull him up.

Fiona had gone all around the house checking window and door locks. She placed guns in strategic spots, and made sure the was no areas where an enemy could take cover. She also made sure escape exits were kept clear. As part of this task she cleared Michael's bedroom searching for any place he might be hiding something they needed to see.

Michael sometimes didn't realise he had a problem sharing. Heaven forbid any of them tried to hide something from him. He had an insatiable need to know everything. Want to cause Michael anxiety? Try and keep him in the dark.

Jesse spent his time making sure all the movement activated lights they had put in place outside weeks ago still worked properly, and then cut back any foliage that obstructed the view of the street. Afterwards he ran Madeline to the supermarket to stock up on all the essentials, including first aid.

Michael got back to find the lock down on his mother's house completed, it was only ten am. He was impressed. He noticed how tidy his room was and when nobody was looking he did his own search for bugs. He smiled when he found two of Sam's listening devices. He guessed one of them would of also checked out his hiding places. It didn't matter, when he left he took the cell and the card with him.

"These yours?" He asked Sam dropping the bugs onto the kitchen counter.

Sam at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah they're mine. But, I wouldn't have to do it if you let us in on your plan." He justified his actions.

"Ok," he drawled. "What do you want to know?" He lent back against the counter.

"What the hell are you up to for a start." Michael raised an eyebrow. "Oh don't give me that look." Sam continued. "You're up to something you know we'll disagree with or you're ashamed of."

"It's complicated Sam, oh I know that's no excuse." He stopped as Jesse came inside.

The younger man looked at the other two and realised he had interrupted something. "You need me to leave?" He asked. "It's just Fiona wants to set up trip wires and I'm worried about her blowing up one of the neighbours."

"I best go deal with this." Michael started for the door.

"Mike we need to talk about this. Soon brother." Sam shouted to Michael's back.

It was one pm and Vaughn had been working none stop all morning since his meeting with Michael Westen. That man had caused him so much trouble it was unbelievable. He was still writing reports on the fiasco over losing control of the man for six weeks. Westen in enemy hands for five weeks and then he only realises something is wrong when he meets him in the flesh. That took a lot of explaining. Then the was the two "do good" medics who had put the damn man back together. He admitted blowing up a very small chunk of Miami real estate was wrong, but they deserved it. Wasn't his job hard enough without civilians interfering.

He was jerked out of his mood by the soft putting sound of gunfire muffled by silencers. Nobody would be so stupid as to attack his people in a five star hotel penthouse suite. He got to his feet, hand on his gun when the door was blasted of it's hinges. Four figures came in, dressed in black combat gear and Vaughn died, shot to death before he could finish drawing his own weapon.

All of the shooters now made their way round the room gathering as much paperwork as they could find. Vaughn's computer went into a bag as did his cell phone. Another man stood in the doorway, dressed in a nice suit, watching the other men work, a cheerful grin on his face. This was a very profitable day for him.

A laptop, tons of paperwork, a cellphone all to sell to the highest bidder, and he was one step closer to having Michael Westen willingly work for him. A very good day indeed and it was still only lunchtime. He opened his own cell hitting the speed dial.

"Michael. How are you?"

"Is it done?" Came the curt reply.

"Manners Michael. Yes it's done."

"That was fast work scouting the Hotel."

"I'm a professional. You remember how that goes don't you. Time is money."

"I remember. I still need that other piece of information?"

"Reid Ottoman, is the new head of special operations at Drake Industries. Not a nice man worked for the CIA for a while. Interrogation specialist."

Those words chilled Michael's soul "Thanks when do you want to meet?" He hoped he had hidden his fear.

"Tomorrow at that dump you call an apartment. Ten o clock suit you?"

"I'll be there."

"Oh Michael, no tricks. You came to me. Remember that and keep up your end of the deal."

"I'll remember." He hung up. Sliding the phone into his pocket.

Michael had gone into his bedroom as soon as his cell had rung, not realising Sam had hidden four bugs in total in his small room. Anyone else Sam would of said four was overkill. But he had expected some of them to be found.

Sam sat in his own room listening to Michael's side of the conversation. Something had been done at a hotel, and the person who had done it had given Michael another piece of information, and they would be meeting soon. Not a lot to be going on with. However Sam now turned on his police scanner. He figured that whatever happened at the hotel would involve the cops.

Sam didn't have long to wait. A fire alarm had been triggered in a penthouse suite at one of the premier hotels on Miami beach. When one the managers went to check he found five dead bodies and a door blown off it's hinges. As Sam listened in he felt a moment of dread. Michael had definitely gone too far this time. They would be sure to kill him for this. He had recognised Vaughn's description and knew probably before the cops would have time to start a full investigation it would be taken off them and the crime would disappear. _Probably along with Michael, and depending on how badly they wanted to make an example, all of them too._

He turned round, he hadn't heard his bedroom door open, but Fiona stood in the door way. One look at her face told Sam she had heard everything.

"Where is he?" She asked. Already, Sam could see how this was going to go. He was angry himself, but Fiona looked more furious than he had ever seen her.

"Fi-" He started to try and calm her down, she looked ready to blow.

She turned away abruptly, stalking off, Sam came after her. "Fiona, if you tear into him he'll-"

She had spotted him, chatting with his mother and drinking coffee. Not looking like a man who had just ruined everything.

The cup of coffee went flying as Fiona dragged Michael around by his arm, she brought a fist up and hit him hard on the side of the jaw. Stunned Michael fell back and his arms were still down when she hit him again this time bending him double. It was not clear if she had remembered his bruised ribs or not. Hearing his gasp of pain did not stop the onslaught.

While Fiona continued to try and hurt Michael, Sam grabbed Madeline pulling her out of the danger zone.

"Sam stop them!" Madeline had never seen her son and his girlfriend act like this. Sam had and knew better than try and get between them.

Michael had taken several blows and she still wouldn't give up, she was now swearing in between breathes. He made a grab for her, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her in close. She stamped on his instep and slipped out of his grip. They faced each other now.

Sam escorted Madeline out of the back door, "It'll be safer out here for a while." Sam told her. "I'll make sure they don't destroy your house."

"What's he done Sam?" She wanted to know.

Sam could hear Michael's angry voice, but not clear enough to make out the words. "I better get back in there." He left her stood in her own back yard.

Inside the fight had stopped at least for now.

"How could you do it without even discussing it with us?" She accused.

"What Fi?" Michael was angry and sore. A bruise was already coming out on his jaw, and he stood slightly hunched protecting his ribs.

"Vaughn." She hissed the name out.

"What about him?" He tried to bluff.

"Dead. Shot along with his bodyguards. In his private suite." She spat out each short sentence.

Michael glanced quickly at Sam who had just come back into the room. Then turned his attention back to Fiona.

"More bugs Sam?" It wasn't really a question. Michael moved slowly away from the kitchen counter he wanted more room in case he needed to escape and evade. He kept his eyes on Fiona.

"You do know they'll kill you for this, it's not like Carla. That at least looked like you were cleaning up their mess. This, with Vaughn was an attack. Mikey we can't take them all on." Sam growled.

"We don't have to. I have a plan."

"You going to share this plan." Fiona asked, but the way she tensed meant she was silently adding _you better._

"It's complicated," he said softly.

She didn't wait for more, two quick steps and she was in range. A swing of her hips and a leg shot up in a roundhouse kick. If it had landed it would of probably taken his head off. But Michael blocked it, slid an arm over and around the leg trapping it against his side. Then a quick move sent an already off balance Fiona sprawling on the floor.

"Fi, stop it now." Michael's voice was hard. He was warning her. He took a deep breathe.

"The plan is complicated. You're right Sam neither of you is going to like it. But it's the only way I can keep you all safe. When it's over you'll see I'm right."

"So what you're saying is you're not going to tell us damn thing." Sam's eyes blazed.

"You'd try and stop me if I did." Michael tried a smile. They were both so angry he wasn't sure they would stay.

The was an uncomfortable silence, Fiona got to her feet, she moved to stand next to Sam.

"How can we help you, if you don't tell us what is going on?" She asked.

"By staying here and doing what you've been doing protecting my mom."

"We didn't get you back to lose you again." Sam said.

"I'm not going anywhere. Well actually I am, I'm going back to the loft. The next few days will be," he paused thinking of the right word. "Tricky." He came up with.

"Tricky!" Fiona repeated.

"Tricky, yes that's the right word. If things go as planned it will be over with -" He took his eyes of Fiona as Jesse had quietly slid into the room.

"Er Maddie asked me to come and check, she was worried it had gone quiet?" He noticed the coffee on the floor, Micheal's bruised face and the wary way they were all staring at each other.

"It's ok Jesse." Michael said, relaxing his stance. "I'm going to go back to the loft for the next couple of days. You can take me over there now."

He was effectively cutting Sam and Fiona out. He could see the hurt on their faces. He would make it up to them later. He told himself.

Most of his stuff was at the loft anyway so he was ready to go straight away. Madeline tried to talk to him but he brushed her aside. Jesse looked confused by the whole episode, but he left with Michael hoping to get some answers out of him.

"What are we going to do?" Fiona asked as she watched Michael drive away.

"I think we get those business cards out again. He kept the number of nearly everyone he 's come into contact with. The has to be one missing we need to figure out who it is."

Fiona sighed "I hate research."

Jesse parked his car up behind Michael's charger. As he went to open the door Michael dropped a business card on his lap. He looked at it, recognising the name.

"What I'd like to know is how long have you been working for him."Michael had a strange tight smile on his face. He also had a knife gently touching Jesse's side.

"You see, somebody must of told him about the hand off to Barret. And when Sam and Fi couldn't get me out and were beginning to give up. You appear with all the right information to put them back on track." Michael was calm, but the knife was digging in a little more.

"Mike, you're wrong-"

"No I'm not Jesse. Don't treat me like an idiot. Now unless you want me put this knife into you answer the damn question."

"Ok then you want to know what happened." Jesse's temper rose. "While I was waiting for you to come up with something on the name in that bible. I had a visitor, he told me that pretty soon you were going to turn up with some long lost intelligence that would solve everything. He told me you knew who Simon Escher was you had even worked with him. Diverting an aircraft, blowing up a hotel, causing a major car pile up. Then you turned up with that folder, just like he said you would. I saw him later on, he told me that you were the one that burnt me, and you were using me to get information for your boss. That you worked for some secret black op agency. He also told me my old boss had given Fiona information that could've help prove my innocence. Any of this ring true?"

"So what. You set me up. Try to kill me. Then have a change of heart?"

"I came back because I was sorry about what I had done. After he got the briefcase he threw a load of money at me. Thanked me for a job well done. Made me feel like a – well you know. So I started my own investigation, I saw who took you. So I had a better start than Sam and Fi. I only went to them when I was pretty sure I couldn't do any more on my own." He risked moving slightly. "I haven't seen him since, I am trying to make up for what I did."

Michael looked at Jesse, part of him wanted to kill him. Michael was listening to that part a lot more now a days. He felt the urge to plunge the knife into the younger man, the traitor. He reigned it in. He removed the knife from Jesse's side and opened the car door.

"I appreciate what you're doing, I'd like you to keep it up. But for your own safety you had better stay away from me at least for a little while." He left the car slamming the door. He spoke through the window. "It would be best for you not to mention you know who the mystery man is with the bible to either Fi or Sam." Jesse watched him climb the stairs before driving off.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six.

When Jesse drove away from Michael's loft he did not have a clue where to go. He had honestly thought Michael was going to kill him. The look on the man's face had been downright scary, Jesse could see that Michael had to fight hard to control himself.

After driving around for ages he finally pulled over into a car park. It was across from the spot where he had first met the man who had set all this in motion.

_I was looking at private military, arms dealers or retired spooks. I should been looking at the guy laying the phone lines._

_What I had wanted to say is, I should have been watching the guy who I thought was my friend... Jesse porter._

It had been just before the hurricane hit. He had gone over Michael's head and put the word out through his own contacts looking for Simon Escher. Michael was taking to long, and why should they only look through his friends.

He had been a counter intelligence agent for eight years. He had been working this case for three. He had his own people who would know as much as Michael's did.

He was proven right when one of his trusted informers contacted him with a lead. He had found a man who knew Simon Escher. The man wanted a private meeting, nobody else present. As soon as the man arrived Jesse had known why. He had seen the man's file, but dismissed him as a viable suspect. Tyler Brennan, had the man power but not the money or the expertise to run the sort of mess he was looking into. Brennan was very much into war for profit though. Maybe he was a middle man.

By the end of that first meeting, Jesse was left shocked, Brennan had a copy of Simon Escher's arrest record along with Michael Westen's. The list of offences was staggering. Almost as staggering was the fact that they had both been released into the custody of an unnamed agency.

Michael not only knew who Simon Escher was, he had worked with him and he probably knew exactly where he was. Brennan had then produced more photographic evidence of the two men together, cctv footage of them at Coral Gables outside a tv shop where a man was found murdered.

Jesse had wanted to know why he was doing this. Brennan was a successful international arms dealer.

"Oh me and Michael have a bit of history." Had been the reply. "If I was you I would look into who he actually works for, and why he is so interested in you. Michael doesn't do anything out of the goodness of his heart. Last year he threatened my daughter's life to make a point."

He had left then, with a promise to be back in contact in a few days. Jesse spent that entire time looking into what Michael had been doing while pretending to be his friend.

While they had ridden out the storm together, he had wondered if Madeline knew what her son was doing to him. He did give Michael a chance. He had asked him if he had any news on Simon. When he said he was still waiting to hear from some of his friends. Jesse had to choked back his anger.

He continued to help Michael, he was after all a professional. But it was taking it's toll, he went to see his old boss. He needed advice, he needed help. He came away even more upset. Fiona, the woman he thought he could love. She had kept information from him. She too had betrayed him. He was becoming suspicious though. The was only one man Fiona would protect.

Brennan's second call couldn't of come soon enough. Jesse had wanted to hurt Michael in so many ways it was becoming hard to be around him. Brennan said he had a piece of cctv footage that he wanted him to see.

So he found out who burnt him, he found out they had all known what Michael had done. They had fooled him, probably laughed at him. He had trusted them. At that moment he had hated them.

He had spent the following couple of days confused as what to do. He wanted Michael to pay for what he had done. Somehow he had found himself listening to Brennan's advice. Looking back he could barely credit it. He was taking advice off an arms dealer. In fact he found himself agreeing to work with him to damage Michael's plan with Barret. Ruin his reputation with his boss. Maybe get him fired.

His part of the job was to separate Barret from his security. Brennan left it up to him if he killed Michael or not. When Michael had been grabbed, Jesse took the shot. At the time he honestly didn't know if he tried to kill him or not. But Barret had still pulled him into the car.

He had seen the SUV turnover, he had watched through his scope. One of Brennan's men had taken the case containing the bible and at least part of the cipher. He had also seen another car drive up and take the bodies away. Setting light to the vehicle before they left.

The next day, he sat feeling strangely dirty. He had forty thousand dollars handed to him in a plain brown bag. He declined Brennan's offer of an employment opportunity. He kept seeing Michael's eyes, wide open as he was pulled up and dumped into the trunk of the car.

Over the following weeks he stayed out of the way, fiona was looking for him. He didn't want to be found. Not until he was ready. He found the most likely place they would have Michael. It was only then that he had approached, first Madeline and then Sam.

He couldn't admit what he knew, that would of let them know how deeply he had been involved. So he had continued to act like he was looking for a mysterious third party.

But now Michael knew. And it seemed liked the tables had turned, Michael was trying to decide whether to kill him or not.

He started up his car again, he had to find a way to make this right.

.

.

"Ok we've got four names, all of them have been around causing trouble in the last couple of years. All of them have resources to do a hit on Vaughn. And none of them have business cards here." Sam tapped the stacked up cards. "You should contact Barry, ask if he knows of anyone we've missed, and see if he knows if any of these are in Miami. Also check around your gun running contacts, see if the are any rumours out there about some one hiring on extra men."

"And while I'm doing all this?"Fiona asked.

"I'm going to sit down with that folder that Mike and Jesse have been hogging and try and see what we've missed."

"Good luck with that." She meant it the folder was massive filled with what they had dug up on Barret, and Drake Industries plus all the intelligence that Jesse had gathered.

.

_Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it really depends on what you want to say._

Michael entered his loft after watching Jesse drive away. The was still a part of him that was unhappy at letting Jesse go. It was the part that he was relying on now more and more to keep him going.

He looked around and could instantly see somebody had been inside. On his bed were photos, black and white grainy photos of his recent interrogation. Close ups of his face screwed up in agony, others of him lying in his cell. He stood frozen to the spot, heart hammering in his chest, he couldn't breathe. Then he felt bile rising in his throat, he rushed to his bathroom just making it in time.

He came out of the bathroom, his legs were rubbery and his heart was pounding. He forced himself to walk back over to his bed. He hurriedly grabbed up photos, noticing the was a cell phone on his pillow. For now though he wanted those photos gone. He dropped them in the sink, and searched for matches. Only once they were on fire did he feel himself relax slightly. He ran a trembling hand across his forehead the skin was cold and clammy. He now had to deal with the phone.

He picked it up trying to compose himself. Looking at it he saw the was one number programmed in. he hit the dial button.

"Mr Westen." It was that damn voice that sent chills down his spine.

"Yes." He managed a response.

"Do you have the information we want?"

He swallowed, he wasn't even in the room but Michael feared that man and what he could do. "Not yet."

"You have time to have your previous handler killed though?"

"That wasn't me." He lied, the man wasn't in the room, he needed to pull himself together.

_Previous handler?_ He thought. _Was he talking to his present handler?_

"You will have to learn not to lie to me Mr Westen. Wasn't those earlier lessons enough?"

Michael didn't respond, what did he expect him to say.

"Twenty four hours, Mr Westen we want the bible and if not, I would not want to be one of your friends. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Michael whispered. He turned the phone off. He felt worn out, and his plan was still not completely in place. He knew who had the bible, six weeks ago. Jesse had confirmed that. But six weeks was a long time in the intelligence industry. He looked at the bed, but he could still the photos on it in his mind. He climbed up the stairs and laid down on the couch.

Fiona found him there three hours later. He didn't respond to her coming inside or her calling his name. She looked around the loft and saw the burnt photos in the sink, she sorted through and found fragments that made her curse. Throwing them back into the sink she headed upstairs that being the only place she hadn't looked.

He was on his side knees drawn up to his chest, shivers were racking his body, and he appeared to be talking though no sound was coming out of his mouth. She touched him gently on the shoulder expecting him to jerk awake. However apart from flinching he gave no sign that he knew she was there.

"Michael!" She shook him, trying to bring him out of it. They should of seen this coming. Sam had said he seemed to quiet before. He had been blocking out what had happened, until someone, and she could guess who left him a load of photos of his incarceration. He came round, seemingly confused, she noticed the greenish complexion and reached quickly for a small metal bin. Getting it under his chin as he threw up.

She took him downstairs and into the bathroom. She helped him clean up. "That's it, you're coming back to your mothers."

"No Fi, I can't I've got a meeting here tomorrow." The was something different about his voice.

"So I'll stay then. You're in no condition to take a meeting on your own."

He wanted to argue with her but felt strangely lethargic. He rested his head in his hands as he sat on a chair.

"I'm going to take a job." He told her.

"A job? What sort of job?" She was confused.

"I Know who has the bible, I need to get it back so I've accepted a job with the person who took it."

His tone was flat, when he looked at her, his eyes were cold.

"Who has it?" She was half afraid to ask. She had an idea though, but she wanted to hear him say it.

" Brennan, Tyler Brennan."

"The man who strapped a bomb to a child's arm. Who threatened to kill Nate. You're just going to work for him?" She was astonished.

"Yes. That's why you can't stay."

"Michael you were having a flashback when I came in. You are in no state." She stopped as he grabbed her, pulled her towards the door. His eyes were blazing, his mouth a thin line. He threw her against the door, a hand on either side of her shoulders.

"Do you think, that you could go through what I did? Do you think my mother could? Because that is what is going to happen if I don't give them what they want. So I am going to do whatever job Brennan wants me to do. So I can steal that bible back or find who he sold it to."

"Not alone Michael you need our help." Her voice was small, he had never spoken to her like this, he sounded so vicious.

"Alone Fi, now go." He shoved her out of the door, slamming it shut in her face. He leant against it, he could hear her going down the stairs. He was doing it for her, his mother and Sam. It would his fault if anything happened to them. It didn't matter what happened to him. He felt dead inside now anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven.

Fiona stood outside the door. Michael had thrown her out. She could not believe that he had done it. She marched down the steps, at the bottom she turned. Not really expecting him to be there, but hoping. When would he get the message that she did not want him to be constantly protecting her from his messed up life. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself. She had done it for years. She got into her car revving the engine and wheel spun away. She had not gone far when her phone started to ring.

.

"Fi, get back here now." Sam sounded flustered.

"What's the problem Sam?" If he asked what was wrong she would hurt him.

"Just get back here. And if you see Jesse just be careful."

"What?"

"Not now Fi just get here. Oh have you heard from Mike his cell is off."

"Michael is fine." She snapped. "What is it with, oh damn!" She narrowly missed another car.

"Fi, stop talking just get here." Sam yelled at her. He had heard the car horn commenting on her driving.

.

Sam had gone over the large thick folder several times. Admittedly he had skipped the parts he knew backward and forward, and the parts he had fabricated. He was getting nowhere, it took him a moment. Then he realised the same thing Michael had, the folder did not help. If it didn't help them how had it helped Jesse?

It couldn't of helped Jesse. That was the logical answer.

So how had Jesse got his information? That was the next question. Sam did not like the way this was going.

He tried Michael's cell but it was switched off. So he called Fiona. They needed to talk to Jesse.

.

Michael waited until he heard Fiona leave. He heard the squeal of tyres and winced slightly, the car was taking the brunt of her anger at the moment. He then started to prepare for tomorrows meeting. The was a lot to do. His head was clear now. So long spent in one place allowed him to form friendships, renew old relationships, made him soft. He pushed it all to the back of his mind. He shook his head it was pathetic how soft he had become.

.

Madeline watched as Sam tore through the garage which Jesse called home.

"Sam what are you doing?"

"Nothing to worry about Maddie I'm just looking for something." Sam replied as he searched.

"Well can I help. What is you're looking for?"

"I'll know it when I see it that's all."

"Fine then don't tell me." She muttered and left him to it.

Sam found nothing that incriminated Jesse. He stood looking at the mess he had left behind. He was stood like that when Fiona arrived.

"Sam?" She asked, looking in from the doorway. "Yeah Fi, I think Jesse may be spying on us."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that folder he's been pouring over, it contains just the stuff it always did, nothing after Michael talked to Simon. Nothing to say who the mysterious new player is."

"So you think Jesse is working with Brennan?"

"Brennan, really?" Brennan's name had been one of the four, not Sam's favourite. "Well I suppose Brennan does hate Mikey."

"Michael just threw me out of the loft, said he had a meeting set with Brennan and he didn't want me there." She sounded indignant.

"He's trying to go lone wolf again?" Sam sighed "Crap."

"What are we going to do."

"What we always end up doing. Getting him out of the mess he has got himself into." Sam huffed. he gave up on the room. if Jesse came back he had quite a few questions for him.

.

Nearby Michael's loft, a team who had been sent to watch Michael, keep an eye him. Make sure he didn't try and run. To make sure they knew exactly where he was when the decision was finally made to kill him. They all knew that he had pushed to far this time. Killing a handler was a big no no.

Not far from the first team the was a second team. This one was also watching the loft they were there to monitor his actions to make sure he was doing as he was told. As they worked for a communications company they had the very latest in bugging technology. They were also watching the first team. Drake industries do not play well with others. They were waiting for orders to take out this team of rivals. In the next twenty four hours they expected to be very busy.

Michael did not know exactly where these two teams from rival companies were, but he knew they were there and he knew that they had both had sound in the loft. He made all his preparations based around that fact.

.

In the morning after very little sleep Michael showered and then dressed in his best suit, it hung off him a bit and he had to put his belt onto the highest hole. Standing in front of his mirror he combed his hair and studied his face. The was dark rings around his eyes making them appear a bit sunken in. His cheekbones were sharper that usual and his skin was deathly pale. He sucked on his lower lip unhappy with his appearance. He had been an idiot thinking he could of fooled Vaughn.

He was distracted by the sound of feet on the metal stairs. It was ten o clock.

.

Tyler Brennan had been looking forward to this day, a chance to wipe that smug grin off Michael Westen's face. Since his last run in with Westen he had learnt all he could about the man. He had rushed back to Miami when he was told a disgraced counter intelligence agent was asking questions about Simon Escher. When he found out this agent was meant to be working with Westen he had wasted no time. He produced evidence that Eshcer and Westen worked together and he managed to find the evidence that Westen had been the one who got Porter burnt. That piece of news had him smiling for a week. Before long he had turned the young agent completely against his partner. It was a shame the bible turned out to be a bust for him. Nobody wanted it, to hot to handle he was told. But then Michael had contacted him for help. That piece of news would make him smile for a month. He had held out but finally agreed to a deal. He had Michael Westen beg for his help. Now he was looking forward to bossing the other around until he got bored then he would have him shot. He had it all planned out. He straighten his suit and ran his hand across his hair as they pulled up at a set of rusting metal gates.

.

Michael opened the door to two large men who pushed him back into the room. One patted him down, while the other swept the room looking for an ambush. Once they were both happy. Brennan walked in flanked by an other two men. He was as ever well dressed in a designer suit, and a thousand dollar shoes. He looked around the loft then turned his attention to Michael.

"Well you look as terrible as the dump you live in." He commented. He walked over and sat on one of the chairs next to what past as Michael's breakfast bar.

"so far this has been a one way deal Michael." He said. "I think it's about time we talked about the terms of our agreement."

"What is it you want?" Michael sat on his bed. A smile firmly in place.

"I have a business rival who is shall I say stepping on my toes I would like you to go and sort it out for me."

"So I'm to be your assassin?"

"When you called me Michael you promised to do whatever I wanted in return for some information and neutralizing one of your enemies. If I remember correctly you told me you needed my help."

"That's right, you set me up quite well didn't you. Left me no choice but to look for help, and you were the only one in town."

Brennan smiled "Your dossier did say you were quick."

"Did it also say not to trust me?" Michael had pulled a gun from under his pillow. In the same move he fired. The nearest of Brennan's bodyguards went down. Michael's hold on the gun was not as good as it would be normally he hit the second in the shoulder, by now the other two plus Brennan all had their guns out. This looked like it was going to end very badly for Michael. That was when a flash bang came in through the balcony door. The five remaining occupants of the room were stunned as the two doors into the loft were breached. Outside the was more gun fire as the two teams who had been watching the loft opened fire on each other.

Michael, Brennan and the three remaining henchmen came around, handcuffed, sat on the floor backs against a wall. Two men heavily armed stood guard over them. Outside the gunfire had stopped, from the way he tilted his head one of the men was receiving orders. He turned to the captives.

"Where is the bible?" He asked. When he got no reply he turned his Mach 10 towards the injured captive and a short burst of gunfire finished him off.

He didn't ask the question again just looked at the men sat on the floor. When he got no response he shot the next man.

"We don't know-" Brennan got no further in what he had to say as the man next to him was killed. The guards body slumped against Brennan's expensive suit.

"I'd tell him Brennan," Michael said. "They don't mess around."

Brennan was furious he should of taken the bible and disappeared but he had stayed for the chance to rub Michael Westen's nose in it. To have the man who was the thorn in his side working for him. The gun was now pointed at him, the eyes of the man holding it stared down at him expressionless.

"It's at my house?" He said. "In the safe." The man turned away, speaking into his comm's.

He turned back, "Take both of them. Mr Ottoman wants to speak to him." He nodded at Michael.

They had bags dropped over their heads and were dragged up. They were forced down the steps almost at a run, unable to see they half fell and and were bundled into a panelled van.

.

Sam and Fiona watched from a distance, Sam kept a grip on Fiona . "It's not the time Fi they'd cut us down they way they did the others." So they followed keeping as far back as they could. All was going well until they were cut off a car pulled across the front of them, then another blocked them in behind. From each vehicle men appeared carrying fully automatic weapons. They were ordered out of the car and into the back seat of one of the cars. "Lets just wait here a bit." They were told by one of the men. After half an hour they were let go, but first Fiona had to watch as they shot out the tyres on her car. "Don't stick your noses in our business again." They were told as the gunmen got back in their cars and drove off.

.

Michael blinked as the bag came off his head, he was sat in a hard metal chair to which his wrists were shackled. In front of him was a table and another chair. The was no windows in the room and both the walls and the ceiling was the same off white colour. They left him there for several hours. He could hear the sounds of shouting and then moaning coming from another room. Eventually the door opened and a small rather portly man came in, he was balding and wore wire rim glasses. He held a clip board which he dropped onto the table. He took the seat facing Michael.

"Mr Westen, how well do you know Mr Brennan?" It was the same voice, this was the man who had tortured him.

"We've had a couple of run ins in the past." Michael answered. Wondering why the was no bright lights and torture devices.

"Did you know he had the bible?"

"No."

"Strange he said you did. He says you told him about it."

"Why would I have got him to steal it when I could of just given it to him?" Michael argued.

The man smiled. "We know that. Now," He changed the subject. "Regarding your employment."

"My what?"

"Employment. These are yours." He slid a credit card across the table, a cell phone and a storage locker key. "The card is for expenses only, weapons, ammunition,those you can't get from us that is. Travel, hotels, meals you know the sort of things, the cell you keep on you at all times, you answer it immediately, yes the is a tracker in it do not remove it. The key is for a storage facility where weapons ammunition and other ordinance is kept."

"When did I agree to work for you?" Michael asked, he had guessed they would want him to, would threaten his family and friends to make him. But this was, just you are going to do it.

"I'm sorry do you want to stay here as my lab rat. Because that is your choice. Now that brings me to my rules. Honesty Mr Westen is very important to me. You tell me no lies and you won't have to come in here again. I ask a question, you answer it completely no holding back any part of the information. I also understand you like to do some little side jobs. Not a problem but if that phone rings you answer it you do the job requested and you don't do anything else until you get the all clear. You will receive Two thousand dollars a week, as a retainer, more for any job we ask you to do. We have set up a bank account for you. It is not effected by the freeze on all your other accounts. Now you tell me. Do you want to stay here. Or do you want to leave here as an employee."

"What's happened to Brennan?"

"None of your business Mr Westen. That's another lesson. The is a lot you do not need to know."

"I don't ask twice Mr Westen." He was standing up ready to leave.

Michael really wanted to say no go to hell. But he really did not want to stay at what ever facility he was being kept at.

"Yes."

"Yes what?" Like he was talking to a child.

"Yes I will work for you."

"Welcome to Drake Industries Mr Westen. Some one from human resources will be in to let you go soon."

They kept there for another couple of hours. Then took him still in handcuffs and a black head bag and put him in a car. He was uncuffed and thrown out of the car by the loft. When he got to his feet he checked his pockets and found the credt card, phone and key inside.

At least I am now getting paid he thought to himself. He would go inside and then try and find away to make it up to every one.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight,

He had been back for two day's, two day's and no contact with anyone, not that he expected any. He had sent text messages to both Sam and Fiona. Letting them know he was back, but also telling them to stay clear. He had gone to the bank and checked out the details of his new bank account and was surprised his new bosses had paid him for the time they held him. Six thousand dollars paid into his brand new account. Personally he would of preferred not to of gone through all he did and let them keep the money. The Master card he discovered had no limit. Then the was the cell phone he had been given, the was a GPS inside, he did as he was told and left it alone. He was pretty sure that they had other ways of watching him anyway.

Now though he was getting bored, it had been four years since he had spent so much time alone. That of course did not include stints in a secret prison or more recently weeks spent being patched up then tortured. Usually he would of worked out but, his hands wouldn't let him use the punch bag, and the rest of him was either to bruised or to worn out to do anything. As he sat in the loft after finishing sorting out and tidying away all his tools. He was surprised that he wanted to see his friends, he actually wanted to see his mother. He laughed at the fact he was missing her nagging.

Eventually he gave in to the need for company. He drove across town, deliberately taking a roundabout route trying to see if he was being followed. The didn't appear to be a tail, unless they were very good. Still not convinced he went past his Mother's house a couple of times. On the second pass he saw her putting some trash out.

He pulled up onto the drive and let himself in through the kitchen door. Madeline was sat in her favourite chair drinking a coffee watching tv. She looked up and saw him standing just inside the room. She looked him up and down checking for any new injuries, grateful not to see any.

"So you're back." She said. Getting slowly to her feet.

"I came to see how you are." He was looking around the room, looking for evidence that everything was indeed ok. Now he was here he didn't know what to say.

"Just peachy, have you seen Fiona? Or Sam? They were worried." She came over and gave him a hug. His arms hung down, they only came up on a reflex.

"No," He let go of her. "I'll see them sometime soon." He moved to the blinds looking through them. No sign of a tail, maybe he was wrong. His tone was flat and he seemed distracted.

"No one has seen Jesse since he dropped you off yesterday. Michael?" He was in truth beginning to freak her out. He had never been very demonstrative but this was almost creepy.

"What Ma? Oh no I don't know where Jesse is." He seemed to of finished looking around the lounge. "I should go now." He moved towards the door. "I'll give you a call, don't come over to the loft. It's to dangerous just now, Bye Ma." He was gone not waiting for a reply.

Madeline watched as he drove away, confused as to what had happened. Thoughtfully she lit up a cigarette. At least he was alive. Even though he is acting more paranoid than ever.

That had not been very successful, he thought. What was wrong with him, that he couldn't find anything to say to his mother. He wondered if he ought to go and see Fiona or Sam. But what would he say to either of them, sorry wouldn't cut it. They had gone all out to get him released and then he had kept them in the dark about what he had planned.

He needed to apologize to them all, but what was he expected to say?

Sorry guys I cut you out after all you did for me because my life is so messed up and dangerous.

Neither of them would take that as an excuse. Sam was an ex navy seal, he had served in some of the most dangerous places on the planet.

Fiona's life was almost as dangerous as his, she dealt with gun runners and those looking for weapons every day. She had an awesome reputation in her field. But if he was the cause of either of their deaths he would not be able to cope.

So he headed back to the loft, he had been alone before he could do it again.

.

Sam had looked at Mikey's text and it had been the closest he had ever come to wanting to strangle his friend. To say he was disappointed would have been an understatement. He made a decision there and then that he was not going to go running round to check he was all right. He was going to wait and see if Mike had it in him to stop treating his friends as assets.

For now he was trying to find Jesse, he wanted answers. How much had Jesse known and what was he up to now. He had heard that Jesse was planning to fly out to Los Angeles, unlike Michael, Jesse was not tied to Miami. Sam was going to head over to Maddie's and try and catch him collecting his stuff. While he was there he could check she was ok and see if Michael had been in touch.

.

Fiona meanwhile was stood looking at a burnt out building that had until early in the morning held a large consignment of assault rifles and boxes of clips for the guns. Her first instinct was to call Michael to help her. She had remembered getting that damn text message. _Fi, am fine, stay away, M. _She had thrown her cell across the room, and had then thought about going round to the loft and shooting him, nothing to serious, a flesh wound to remind him who his friends were. Instead she had agreed to Sam's crazy idea of making him come to them. Sam seemed to think Michael had grown used to company and having a team he could trust.

.

Jesse pulled up at Madeline's, he looked in through the window but couldn't see her. It was what he planned on. It was canasta night, she would be at a friends house until late. He let himself into the garage that had been his home for the last few months. He was actually sad to be going, but he could not stay knowing that Michael was not right with him being there.

"So you're back." Sam stood watching from the door way.

Jesse spun round, he had hoped to get out unseen. "It's ok, I'm leaving, leaving Miami."

"Ah huh, so you set up Mike and lied to us and plan to runaway. Who are you working for?"

"Does it matter" He finished putting his belongings into a duffle "Get outta my way Sam." He didn't want to explain it all again.

"Not a chance until I know what's been going on." He settled his feet, planting them into the ground, his hands curling into fists. Jesse smiled with the confidence of youth. Sam may have been a Navy seal but from what he had seen it was Michael who did the more physical jobs now.

"Last warning Sam, get out of my way."

"Not going to happen kid."

Jesse shook his head and dropped his bag. His attention should have been on Sam. Jesse rocked back as a fist connected with his jaw. He was trying to recover when a well placed boot knocked him to the floor. Jesse rolled back up on to his feet fists up, ready to fight. Sam however, had done with a fist fight he now held his hand gun out cocked and ready to fire.

"Like I said not going to happen. Now take a seat."

.

Michael had finally given up on sitting around trying to read an old magazine and was trying rather painfully to do some sit ups. So he was quite glad when his cell rang, he looked at the caller id and his face fell a little. Mom. He read. Still he answered it.

"Yeah Ma?"

"Michael, I need you to come home right now." The same needy voice he was well used to.

"It's getting late." He pointed out.

"It's Sam and Jesse they're fighting."

"They'll sort it out." He really didn't want to referee a fight right now. He still hadn't figured out what he wanted to do about Jesse and he wasn't ready to deal with Sam either.

"Michael, please come over. They are your friends." She hung up the phone. If he couldn't argue he would have to come over.

Sighing, Michael did what he always did recently when she called, he got dressed and headed over to her house.

The place was quiet, maybe Sam had killed Jesse. He thought, but then instantly changed his mind Sam wouldn't do that. So why had Madeline rung saying they were fighting. He headed towards the garage and saw that the lights were all off. So it was over to the kitchen, peering inside he could make out Sam standing by the counter leaning on it talking to somebody. Then he Realised Sam was now staring directly at him.

"Great." Michael muttered, seeing no choice but to go inside.

Madeline was sat at the dining table, Jesse sat next to her. Sam hadn't moved from the counter. Michael looked at each of them in turn.

"Ma you said the was a fight?" He queried.

"The had been it's stopped now." She pointed out. "Sam and Jesse have sorted out their problems haven't you boys" The was a bit of a threat there in her voice. The boys nodded their agreement.

"So, I thought it would do you good to come over and chat as well." She had turned her gaze back to her son, daring him to answer her back.

"I don't think now is the time." Michael said.

"Well I do." Was her reply, getting up she gave them each a hard stare. "You boys play nice. I'm going to bed."

The three men were now left staring at each other. Sam turned to fully face Michael. "So how you been?" He asked.

"I'm fine Sam." Came Michael's standard reply. Michael however was now looking at Jesse. " If my Mom still wants you to stay I don't have a problem with it." He told him.

"Thanks," Jesse said looking slightly less nervous.

"So what's happening Mikey?"

"I have a new boss this one pays a bit better. A lot more stick though."

"Do as we say or will kill all your family and friends?"

"No. Do as we say or we make you watch while we torture your family and friends until you do what we asked you."

"Ah." Now Sam got it, Michael was back to protecting everybody from his evil bosses again.

"They told you what they want you to do yet?"

"No, but like I said they're paying me well."

"You're taking their money Mike?"

"No choice Sam." He spoke quietly.

"Ok I get it brother I just don't like it." Sam sighed. He noticed Michael was edging towards the door. "You staying while we talk things through?"

"No, I think I should get back home." As he finished the sentence a loud voice came from one of the bedrooms.

"Michael! You need to stay and talk."

He flung his head back, things would be so much easier if people just let him get on with doing things his way. Why had he ever thought he missed his mother.

"It's look like I'm staying." He grabbed a beer and sat down facing Jesse his expression frosty. "Where's Fi?" He asked.

"She went out to one of her warehouses some sort of emergency. That was this morning. Not heard a word since." Sam reported.

"You'd better give her a call." Michael said. "She probably won't take my call."

"If you sent her same message you sent me probably not. I thought spies were meant to be diplomatic?"

"I was never that sort of spy Sam. You going to make the call?"

Sam got out his cell and rang Fiona's number, it went straight to voice mail.

"It's Sam we're round at Maddies, me Jesse and Mike. Talking through stuff. Are you coming over?" Sam left a message. Fiona quite often would let calls go to message and answer the ones she wanted to.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a couple of minutes waiting to see if Fiona would call back. When the was no call Michael got to his feet a second time. "Look I know what went on I'm fine with it. Whatever you two decide is ok with me." He was keeping his voice down so as not disturb his mother. "Now I'm going home."

"I'm going to go to bed now as well." Jesse said. They all left as quietly as they could not aware that Madeline was still awake. She sat up in her bed feeling pleased with herself. She now just had to get her son and Fiona back talking to each other and things would be more or less back to normal.

.

Fiona's day had started out bad with one of her warehouses being burnt down, it had then gone to worst. One of the small fishing boats she used for local gun deliveries had been sunk. The moorings cut, taken out to deep water then scuppered. The had been two dozen boxes of C4 on board. She had stood on shore turning the air blue with her curses. She set about increasing security around all her other properties. She reached again to call Michael but stopped herself. She would deal with this herself. It was getting dark when she finally made it home to her condo. She must have been very tired or she would of heard the faint sound of footsteps behind her and she would of definitely managed to put up some sort of fight. Instead she surccumed to being grabbed and a clothed forced over her mouth and nose.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9,

Fiona came awake hearing muffled voices talking quietly. Her eyes shot open. She remembered. She had been attacked. Dragged away from just outside her home. Sitting up she hissed as her head spun. She was on a bed under a duvet. A quick look belayed her fears, all her clothing was still in place. Trying to be as quiet as she could she went to the door. She could hear the voices clearly now and when she tried the door it opened. She was in a small apartment, from the sounds coming from outside close to the sea.

"What the hell!" She shouted. She recognised her kidnappers, she was furious. "Toby, bloody, Mulligan. What have you done?" The was an ornament on a side board next to where she stood. It was soon flying through the air at the object of her rage. The man in question ducked, the two men he had been talking to dodged out of the way.

"Didn't I tell ya she was a firecracker?" Toby Mulligan laughed. He was a smallish brown haired man in his mid forties. He had a smiling face and sparkling blue eyes. His Belfast brogue sounded so familiar to her ears.

"Tell me you've not been blowing up my stock Toby or so help me I'll-" As she ranted he had come across the room and shut her up by planting a big kiss onto her mouth. She struggled and broke free.

"It's been four and a half years Toby, I've moved on." She push him away hard enough to make him stagger. She wiped her hand across her mouth.

"You think I'd forget darlin girl. I go to work, and when I get back all your stuff is gone and nobody can tell me where." He turned to the other men. "Boys give me a while with Fi, and I'll get back to you soon."

After the men had gone. The door locked behind them. Toby went into the kitchen and started to make a pot of tea. Fiona watched as he spooned loose leaf tea into the teapot and then added the boiling water. She found her handbag lying on a sofa and searched through noticing her cell phone and handgun were both missing.

"Sorry love." He said as he got out a couple of mugs. "Me and you need to talk." He added sugar and milk to the mugs then found his tea strainer. "I've decided to move my business down here." He poured the tea and brought the mugs through to the lounge. They sat facing each other across a coffee table. "And it's always best to talk without guns don't you think." He smiled at her, she had loved that smile once.

"Toby, you cannot be serious, you ruin my business, kidnap me and then just want to have what a chat and a cup of tea." Her voice had got louder and shriller as she spoke.

"Hush, girl." He told her off. "I'll refund your stock, I just wanted to talk that's all."

"You've not heard about phones." She was becoming more angry. Had she really let him talk to her like this all those years ago?

"I've heard a lot things about you Fiona Glenanne." He took a sip of his tea. "You ran off to be with," he hesitated for a moment. "that American spy used to call himself McBride. Did you know dear girl that's what has been keeping you safe? O'Neill was an object lesson to anyone who wanted to harm you." he noticed her expression. "Oh don't look at me like that. I know how tough you are, we were together for what three years. But." He raised a finger pointing it at her. "But, the are a lot of folks who don't, they think McBride or Westen was your muscle and his gone now isn't he? Killed nearly two months ago I believe."

"What has that got to do with what you're doing?" She snapped.

"Well if he was alive would you be sitting here now. Having to listen to my proposal, or would me and my men just be bodies in the morgue? It's what I'm saying to yer Fi you can't do this without good muscle. I want to get back into business with yer."

"I don't need help Toby, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself."

"Really." He had her own gun in his hand's seemingly admiring it. But she was not fooled."Because it looks to me like you do."

.

Michael was woken by his new cell phone going off. He grabbed at it, checking the caller id. He wasn't surprised that it said Private.

"Hello." He sat up, rubbing his eyes with his spare hand.

"One hour Mr Westen you will be picked up. We have a watching job for you. It's at a hotel." The line went dead before he could speak. He got up and spent the next hour getting ready. He hoped they planned on giving him more information than a watching job. He had to take a guess at what sort of hotel and had taken a chance that it was going to be more business than holiday. Exactly an hour after the call he heard a car pull up outside. A plain beige four door sedan, with just a driver. He got in the back and his cell phone rung again.

"Give the driver your other cell phone." Michael complied. He was given a photograph of two men, both looked to in their twenties.

"Those men are your target. They are expected in Miami today. You are to wait and watch. If you see them report it. Do not approach. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Did they think he didn't know how do to surveillance?

"Stay in position until told otherwise." The phone went dead."Great" he muttered.

He spent the day sat in the lounge of a three star hotel. Watching tourists and out of town business men. He made an attempt to call Sam's cell phone but found the call blocked. He guessed that all calls except to the number he had been given would be the same. They kept him there until gone six o clock, then a call told him a car was waiting to take him home.

.

Sam turned up at Madeline's a little after ten am, more than a little upset with his friends. Didn't either of them know how to return a call. He was calling round to pick up Jesse, he still didn't completely trust the man but he had at least answered his phone. That got him quite a bit of credit that morning with Sam.

Sam made the choice to try Michael's first, but when they got there they found the place locked up. At Fiona's things took a more worrying turn. Her car was there, but it wasn't locked. When they tried her condo the was no answer. Sam took a big risk and picked the lock. If she was there she would probably kill him for breaking into her home. She wasn't, now Sam was definitely worried.

They started with a search of all the warehouses and storage facilities they knew about. They tried to talk to the security guards but they were all to scared of Fiona to tell them anything. Sam started calling Michael at regular intervals getting more and more concerned about him as well.

.

Fiona kicked the coffee table as hard as she could into the legs of her ex boyfriend and was up and running for the door. As her hand curled round the handle she was knocked hard into the door her skull bouncing off the wood. Her legs buckled, but she had no intention of going down without a fight, she tried to turn and grab at her attacker but felt a punch connect with her jaw.

"You stupid girl."Toby snarled and kicked her for good measure. "There's no way out of here." He dragged her back to the bedroom by her hair. "And I was trying to be nice to you."

"You thought I'd just give in didn't you. God what did I ever see in you." She spat the words out.

He slammed the door shut and she heard it lock. "Shout yer heart out if that's what you want. This place is condemned we're the only ones here."

She climbed to her feet rubbing her sore head. "You know what Toby I'll never deal with you. You'll have to kill me first."

"No I won't." He shouted back. "All I have to do is let Kian Smith know where the bitch is that blew his baby brother's hand off with a piece of C4."

Fiona sunk back down to the floor. This was going to take some getting out of.

.

Michael got his own cell phone back when the car actually stopped outside his home. As he walked up the stairs he was horrified to discover he had fifteen missed calls from Sam. He went inside, dialling Sam's number as he did.

"Jesus Mikey where have you been?" Came Sam's voice. "Look Fi's missing." Michael had been about to pull his shoes off instead he gathered up his car keys and his Glock and ran out the door, phone firmly pressed against his ear.

"How long? He asked.

"I don't know tried to call both you and her this morning but neither of you answered."

"Sorry Sam I had a job, they wouldn't let me take my phone." He was in his car now pulling out into traffic. "Where are you?"

"Fi's, we let ourselves in. Jesse is with me."

"Look I'm going to try and get my new boss to answer my call just to check it's not something they've done. You call Sean, Fi's brother see if his heard anything." He hung up, then pulled over he did not want to be driving if he got hold of this new handler and found out he had done something to Fiona.

Michael looked at the phone for a moment trying to calm himself down. These people held all the cards. He dialled the number that was on the back of the photo they had given him.

"What's the problem Mr Westen?" Came his handler Reid Ottoman's voice.

"You know the is a problem?"

"Of course you left your home in rather a hurry. Now what is it?" So they were following him. He felt justified now for his paranoia.

"Do you have Fiona?"

"Why would I have your girlfriend?" Ottoman's voice sounded amused.

"You've made enough threats."

"Mr Westen I do not make threats. If you had done something to warrant us taking Miss Glenanne I can assure you, you would be the first to know. Now if you use that phone to threaten me again I will take that as a reason to call you in for a chat. Are we clear?"

"Yes." Michael spoke through gritted teeth.

"Manners Mr Westen, yes what?"

Michael really, really wanted to hurt that man. "Yes sir." The line went dead. Quickly changing phones Michael got back onto Sam.

"I've got nothing." He told his friend. "Does Sean have any idea's?"

"One, an ex boyfriend and business partner from New York is meant to be relocating down here. Oh and word is out that you are dead Mikey."

"I'll be with you soon, see what you can find out about this ex boyfriend." He threw the phone down onto the passenger seat.

.

As he drew up outside Fiona's he was boxed in by two vehicles which appeared out of nowhere. He reached for his gun and the phone rang. He paused, he could see he was covered by four men in total. Sam and Jesse were coming out of Fiona's their guns drawn. This was going to end badly. He took his hand away from his gun and climbed out of the car, phone up to ear, other hand up in the air.

"Hello.."

"We need you back at your post." Came the order.

"You're doing this deliberately."Michael accused.

"Get back to your post, Mr Westen."

Michael frantically looked around weighing up his options. He had none.

"Fine." He snapped.

"Get in the car behind you, leave your other cell with my men."

"Why are you doing this?" The phone went dead.

"Mikey!" Sam shouted across to him.

"I've got to go Sam, Find her." Michael pulled himself together, and walked to the car handing over his cell.

"Did he just bail on us?" Jesse watched as the two cars peeled away. Sam had lowered his gun cursing under his breathe.

"He had no choice Jesse you know that." He turned back to the condo. "See if you can find out where Fi's ex has set up business. I'll see if I can find out anything about him from a buddy in New York."

"You have a buddy in The Big Apple?"

Sam smiled. "Hey I have buddies all over the place."

.

Michael was surprised when he was taken to another hotel. The driver turned to him.

"They booked into room two twenty five, they left for dinner about twenty minutes ago this is a key card for their room. You are to retrieve a memory stick." He handed Michael an ear piece. Which he put in place. "We'll let you know if they're on their way back."

"If they come back?"

"The memory stick is your concern, if you're disturbed deal with it."

Michael nodded and headed inside and up to the second floor. He saw nobody on the corridor and made it into the room with no problems. As he began his search for the memory stick, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another cell phone. He had been a little worried they would search him but they had not. So for once they had underestimated him.

"Sam have you found her yet?" He wasted no time with pleasantries.

"The is a condemned apartment block near to the docks. Apparently this guy likes to live near where he keeps his stock and he has bought warehouse space just along the street."

"I'm searching a hotel room for a memory stick, let me know when you know for sure and I'll get away."

"Jesse is having a scout around I'll get back to you. Good luck brother."

Michael finished his search with three memory sticks going into his pocket. As he was preparing to leave he got a call through the ear piece. The men were on their way up to the room. He was ordered to take them down and search them. He hid in the room and waited.

The two young men did not stand a chance even against an injured Michael Westen. He had them both incapacitated with in seconds. Tying them up he went through their pockets cursing everytime he caught one of his fingers. When he was sure he had everything he gagged both of the captives and hung the do not disturb sign on the door. He walked out as fast as he could, dropping the memory sticks onto the driver's lap. He snatched back his cell phone and stalked away, calling Sam to come and pick him up.

.

Jesse scouted around the docks, noticing the amount of Irish and New York accents he was hearing. He asked a couple of the guys about job opportunities and who he should speak to. Most were closed mouth but at a bar after buying a few rounds he found out the was a new guy who might be hiring soon.

It was getting dark as they got ready to get Fiona back. Madeline watched them prepare, it was like the had never been a problem between them. Once ready they got into Sam's car and headed off. She watched them go, a cigarette dangling from her lip. She went inside and got out all her first aid supplies hoping she wouldn't need any of them.

.

Toby Mulligan had forgotten how stubborn Fiona Glenanne could be when she put her mind to something. He had thought she would remember all the good times they had shared. With her lover dead he thought she would welcome him back. But she had changed, she was definitely shriller and as far as he was concerned far to opinionated. Eventually he had enough of her shouted views about him, his family and ancestors. He stormed into the room brandishing her own gun, her constant verbal abuse was driving him insane.

Fiona of course had been counting on him coming in full of anger and not thinking clearly. She launched her attack without any warning. Mulligan got a shock when she came straight at him, punching, kicking using moves he had never seen before. She thanked her stars that Michael had never gone easy on her during their sparring sessions. She got in some good blows before he started to recover. He had her pinned down when they heard the door being broken through. He was on his feet looking at the new threat.

"Who the hell are you?" He roared.

"Michael Westen." Came the reply. Cold blue eyes looking over the barrel of a gun.

"You're dead."

"No you are." The was a sharp retort and Mulligan's body arched and fell forward.

During the fight Fiona had managed to get her gun back. A gun with a now smoking barrel. Michael stared at her, kneeling on the bed, her clothes half ripped from her body, a black eye forming. It took him a second, then he had hold of her.

"I'm sorry Fi." He held her face in his hands staring into her eyes. "Did he?"

"No Michael I'm fine honestly." She tried to make light of the situation. He insisted on helping her up.

Jesse poked his head into the room, "Look guy's the dock security heard the shot the are police on the way we need to go."

They made quick work of removing as many of their fingerprints as they could, then headed out. Back to Madeline's first to let her see that everyone was in one piece. Then Sam dropped Fi and Michael off at her home. Sam was pleased to see they had made up most of their differences. For the time being it seemed they were getting back on track. Sam went of home first to get cleaned up, he planned on hitting a few of the late night bars. He was after all between lady friends.

.

Unfortunately for Sam his phone started ringing not long after he got back to his own bed. Cursing he reached for his phone. Looking at the caller id, he sat up. "What's up Fi?"

"Sam, they came and took Michael about fifteen minutes ago. They just burst in looking like cops on a drugs bust or something. Dragged him out in handcuffs."

"Oh hell I'll be right over."

As soon as they got him into the car they slapped a black bag over his head. He felt a needle go into his arm as they sedated him, making it impossible for him to work out where he was going or for how long he was travelling. He was dragged into a room and placed into a chair. Another injection brought him back to full consciousness.

It was a plus. He thought, he was not tied down into the chair and the hand cuffs had been removed. What wasn't so good was Reid Ottoman smiling at him over a clipboard.

"Well Mr Westen, you seem to have a strange way of dealing with enemy combatants."

"What do you mean?" Though he could guess. "Those two kids?"

"Two kids who had our classified data."

Michael smiled, "They are a couple of kids I saw them. You've got you data back. Have them arrested."

Ottoman put the clip board down, reached into his pocket and placed a snub nose revolver on Michael's lap.

"They are highly paid thieves who work for our enemies. They are next door go finish your assignment Mr Westen."

Michael let the smile fade. Years ago this type of order would not of fazed him. But now.

"If they're good at their job why aren't you turning them?"

"We have our own retrieval teams, you've met them already. Time is wasting here. It is you or them Mr Westen." And there was the threat.

Michael picked up the gun and checked the chambers. Standing up, the door was opened for him as he headed out into the corridor for next door.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten.

It was half past nine when he was dropped back at Fiona's. He walked slowly towards her front door noticing the split frame and the door broken almost in two. He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, the neighbours were watching his return. He could guess what they must of thought. Six am, men in police uniforms breaking down a door and then him being dragged out in handcuffs. Fiona would be furious. He knocked on the door frame and poked his head inside.

Fiona was sat with Sam the pair of them staring at the Tv.

"Hey," He said in way of greeting. They both looked round at him in surprise. Fiona got up and they hugged. While they stood together, she ran her hands gently over him checking for injuries and he was scanning the room checking how much damage had been done.

"Hey yourself, no extra bruises. That's not so bad." Sam spoke cheerfully, but he too was giving Michael a look over. Sometimes his friend would play injuries down so it never hurt to confirm everything was all right.

"No just their version of a debrief. Sorry about the door Fi. You all right?"

"I'm fine Michael, could you tell your new handler if this is going to be a regular thing I expect them to buy my new doors." She kept the tone light. This was not the worse thing that had ever happened.

"I'll try, me and Sam will go and get you a door after I get changed." He pulled away from her and headed for the shower.

"Well I better get some measurements, get me a tape measure Fi." Sam got to his feet.

By the time Michael returned washed and in clean clothes. Sam and Fi had the door and frame size.

"While you two boy's sort out my door. I'm going to head out and sell some guns. Toby Mulligan left me quite a supply." She smiled, Michael looked worried.

"Should you go alone?" He asked.

"Michael I'm a big girl. You get the door fixed, and I'll be back later." She picked up her bag and gave him a peck on the cheek, before heading out.

It took them two hours to hang the door and by then Sam pointed out it was nearly lunch time. So they headed over to Carlito's. Once they were sat down with a beer and a meal. Michael pulled out the disposable phone.

"I've got a couple of photo's of the guy's from the hotel. Do you think you could trace who they are?" He asked Sam. He didn't mention they were both dead. "Maybe we can find out what they stole by finding out where they stole it from. The was nothing in the room that hinted at the buyer."

Sam took the phone and looked at the faces of two unconscious young men securely tied up.

"What happened to them?" Sam asked. Then he saw Michael's face and wished he hadn't asked. "It doesn't matter." He added.

"So let me know what you find out." Michael got up. "You need a lift anywhere?"

"No Mikey, I'm fine." Sam sat back with a beer. Later on he would make a few calls and see what he could find out.

.

Fiona, was having a great day. She had gone through Mulligan's warehouse after chasing away his men with a few of her own. Now she had a purse full of money and after a visit to the fashion district several new dresses and shoes. She arrived home to find she had a new front door, they had left a key for her under one of the flower pots. As she opened the door she heard a quiet clearing of the throat. She spun around fast, the memory of the last time some one crept up on her clear in her head. It was one of her neighbours, a quiet middle aged woman who always looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Sorry to bother you." She said nervously. "But, well I saw what happened this morning." She stopped when she saw Fiona begin to scowl. "No, please I'm not here to complain." The was tears in her eyes.

"Come inside." Fiona suggested. When the woman had first started talking, she had thought it was someone complaining about her "_drug dealing_" boyfriend. But now she thought it was something else.

She got the woman sat down on her sofa and made a pot of coffee. "My name is Fiona? And you are ?"

"Jenny, Jenny Sawyer. I've seen you coming and going before but we've never spoke."

"So what did you want to speak to me about?"

Jenny began to look uncomfortable. She lowered her eyes a faint blush came to her cheeks.

"Um, this morning I heard the police. Couldn't really help it. Anyway one of the others said it was your boyfriend they took away." She paused. Fiona felt her temper rising but kept it under control. "They said he was a drug dealer or something. They said that last year the was a gunfight here, out in the street."

"Whose they?" Fiona wanted to know, when Jenny paused again.

"Well um, I'd rather not say." She said. "But I was wondering, I have a son he's been missing for over a week. He's been taking drugs for a while now, I've tried to stop him but he just won't listen. And now he says he's been told he could make extra money as a dealer. The is a man he said called Duvall who say's he'll set him up with customers. Well he hasn't been home now for over a week, I've tried looking for him but I don't really know where to start and I can't go to the police. I was hoping you could ask your boyfriend if he has seen him?" She brought out a photo of a teenage boy probably about fifteen years old. She sounded so desparate as she pushed the photo onto Fiona.

"Sorry Jenny, Michael isn't a -" Fiona stopped as she was handed the photograph. She looked at it. Then back at the woman. Seeing the worry and fear in her eyes. "I'll ask him. Which is your house?" She asked.

.

Michael scowled at Fiona. If the was one thing he didn't need right now was a client with a missing drug addicted son. Who by the sound of it was now a dealer.

"He is fifteen years old Michael and all his mother has." Fiona tried to make her case.

"How the hell am I meant to find a drug addict who probably doesn't want to be found?" He paced in Fiona's living room. "It is not a good time for this Fi."

"Nonsense, it's the perfect time, you need to do something" She paused searching for the right word. "Good." She decided fitted best. "Jenny is a single mom she has been bringing Jake up all by herself." She kept her voice calm and reasonable, fairly certain she would win this argument.

"But," He began to make his case.

she interrupted.

"My neighbours think you are a dangerous drug dealing criminal Michael. I shouldn't be surprised if I get asked to leave." She spoke trying to sound hurt and managing to hide a smile. She watched his face as he was about to answer her back he paused, his mouth opened then shut. He raised a hand in frustration, then sighed. His shoulder's slumped. She had won.

"Fine." He hissed. He stopped pacing, arms crossed over his chest eyes still angry.

Fiona smiled, she got to her feet and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

He didn't reply just sat down and scowled at her.

.

Fiona got more copies of the photograph made up, then organized Michael, Sam and Jesse to go out and cover the whole of the Downtown district of Miami. Just looking for Jake Sawyer, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. Fiona went out with Jenny scouring the area's she knew her son hung out. They also questioned his school friends but all to no avail. They would have to go after Duvall.

"Looks like you get to play dress up Mike." Sam smiled.

They were all sat together in Michael's loft. "Great." Was Michael's response. Fiona left to speak some more to Jenny. To see what she knew about the man who Jake planned to work for and where they might find him.

Michael and Sam headed out to a nearby bar to talk. The was still bugs in the loft and Michael didn't want to face the consequences of removing them just yet. So they went to the bar and once they were sat down Sam pulled out a thin brown folder.

"Steven Doyle and Francis Meyer, both twenty three years old. From Chicago. Neither have any criminal convictions but both have been suspects in various thefts. They get in at night, and get out without hurting anybody. They flew into Miami two days ago under their own names from Washington D.C. Whatever it was they stole they obviously didn't think it was dangerous enough to get them killed."

There he had said it.

"So who has been robbed in D.C?" Michael asked. Ignoring Sam's final comment.

"I'm looking into that now." Sam continued. "The are a lot of large corporations in the Capital, including Drake's who have a large research and development company nearby."

"Ottoman said that the memory stick held information stolen from them. Maybe he was telling the truth?"

"Maybe. If he was though this won't get you any closer to getting out from under his thumb." Sam said.

Michael nodded his agreement. If that was the case he would have to try and get more information elsewhere. "Maybe next time I get called in I could wear a tracker so you could see where their facility is, or I could try and get a photograph of Ottoman. See if we can find where he lives."

"Mikey you kill another handler they will definitely put you down." Sam warned. His expression deadly serious.

"To make him back off Sam, that's all. I promise." He smiled.

"See you do." Sam didn't believe that smile at all. "Now then, for this drug dealing business I better work you up a cover.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven,

.

"Ok Mike I thought we'd keep this simple, Fiona and Jesse have already found Ray Duvall, his stash house and Jake Sawyer. How's that for a piece of good luck." Sam's cheerful tone did not fool Michael for one second.

"In two days not bad at all." Michael agreed. _Waiting for the catch, the was always a catch._

"Now I know you wanted this done quick so what I thought was, we frame Duvall for stealing the drugs of a rival dealer."

_And there it is._ Michael smiled. Waiting for the rest.

"While the two of them are settling their differences, we call the cops and you get Jake."

"So we steal a load of drugs off one drug dealer?" Sam nodded. "We plant the drugs on Duvall?" Sam nodded again. "And while the two of them are shooting holes in each other I sneak into the stash house, grab this kid Jake and haul a fifteen year old out, when he isn't going to want to go." Sam smiled his agreement. "And this last bit is while the cops are turning up?" Michael laid out the plan, arms crossed, leaning back in his chair.

"You got it." Sam agreed.

"Easy?" Michael didn't think he needed to say more.

"Well Fi thought it was a good plan." Sam elaborated.

"You both have a high estimation of my abilities." He replied.

"That we do Mikey." Sam lent back in his own chair and took a long sip on his drink. "Now to other business. Not so good news, I can't find anything else about Doyle and Meyer. Are you sure the was nothing in that hotel room to say who the buyer was?"

"Nope. Just three memory sticks and nothing to check what was on them. I had to hand them all over in case Ottoman knew how many the was." Michael explained. His eyes scanning the passing crowd. He hated talking business in a public place but with the loft still full of listening devices the wasn't much choice.

"Oh I have had a thought about what you said about a tracker. You give me your watch and I'll see what I can do."

Michael slipped the watch from his wrist, glancing at the time before handing it over. "Any idea when Fiona wants to put this plan into action?"

"Nope." Was Sam's reply. "She was searching out a suitable stash house to rob last time I saw her."

"Great." Michael smiled. It did not quite reach his eyes. "Well I need to go and see my Mother. Something about an urgent vacuum repair." He got to his feet, leaving a twenty on the table, to help towards Sam's bar bill.

.

Michael tried to point out to Madeline that she had a perfectly good vacuum repairman staying in her garage. She countered by telling him all about her friend Florence, who had a wonderfully thoughtful son. who came to see her everyday and took her on holiday twice a year. Michael did his best to block out the lecture. If he could go on a holiday the was no way he would take his mother with him. To save himself from a further discussion on the failings of his character, he decided to keep quiet about that fact. Eventually he got the ancient piece of machinery working and took his leave, after promisng to bring Fiona over for dinner.

.

Fiona had gone all out on this job. Once she had found Duvall, she went looking for a rival for them to rob. She found Manolo, who had a very nice supply of drugs and much to her delight quite a stock of fully automatic rifles. She had manged to check out his store without to much trouble, his security was young and fairly inexperienced. They would not stand a chance against trained operators and his locks would be no match to her lockpicking skills.

.

She saw Michael's Charger pull up around the corner, she watched as he did his own sweep of the area. Before coming over to join her.

"Sam told me your plan." He said, as he climbed into the passenger seat of her car.

"You wanted quick. This will be quick, over in a couple of hours." She pointed out.

"Fine when do you want to do this."

"How about now Michael?" She smiled at him, eyes bright. She licked her lips. Her voice husky, "You. Me. I've C4 in my trunk. It would be fun."

"I'm sure it would, but it won't be safe." He replied.

"Kill joy." She pouted.

"Tonight you can have all the fun you want." He promised.

.

That evening all four of them joined Madeline for dinner. Afterwards as she washed up the dishes, they prepared to put Fiona's plan into action. Michael, Fiona Sam and Jesse, changed into black combat clothing. Bullet proof vests and strapped on a variety of weapons. Then While Fiona and Michael fixed detonators to small blocks of C4, Sam and Jesse loaded up the car with extra equipment, basically anything they thought they might possibly need.

It was dark when Fiona made her way around the perimeter of Manolo's stash house planting explosive devices. Sam found a high spot where he could keep watch and orchestrate any changes to the plan. Michael and Jesse prepared to raid the drug den, balaclava's hiding their faces. They waited for Fiona to join them and then made their entry. Smashing through the door they had the room covered before any one could react. Then while Fiona watched the captives Michael and Jesse started emptying the drugs into hold alls. With their faces covered it only needed a couple of dropped names to put the blame firmly where they wanted it. Once they had everything they wanted, they herded the prisoners outside. When sure everybody was clear Fiona blew up the building.

Next they headed over to Ray Duvall's stash house. While Jesse parked the car out front, making sure it was in a prominent position. Michael headed around to the rear with Fiona backing him up. They easily picked the lock on the back door and made their way inside. They only had to wait a few minutes before the was the squeal of tyres and the sound of gun fire. Hidden from view by piles of boxes and rubbish they watched Duvall's men try to launch a defence. when sure everybody was occupied they searched for Jake Sawyer.

He was so high he was having trouble taking the saftey off his gun and cocking it when Michael marched up and hit him between the eyes with his pistol butt. Michael caught the kid before he could fall to the ground. Picking him up over his shoulder, Michael then headed for the exit with Fiona clearing a path. The Police had now turned up and as a three way fire fight erupted around them Sam appeared in Fiona's Hyundai, once Fiona was inside Michael threw Jake inside and got in himself. Sam floored the accelarator working the clutch and gears as he sped away.

The cops had a field day, drugs, money, a fairly large supply of C4, which matched what had been used in an explosion a little earlier and a lot of local drug dealers off the street. All from an anonymous phone call.

.

They took Jake straight back to Jenny's house. On the way he came round and began to struggle. It wasn't Michael's threat to shoot him that quietened him down, it was the cold, icy expression that accompanied the words. Once at Jenny's a subdued Jake was sent indoors. Michael pulled Jenny to one side and handed her an envelope. When she looked inside she gasped. It was packed full of hundred dollar bills.

"What's this?" She asked her eyes wide.

"Jake is going to need rehab." Michael spoke quietly.

"It's too much." Jenny said still looking inside the envelope.

"I have no need for it." He turned away noticing the rest of them were looking at him.

"Thank you." Jenny caught hold of him and pulled him round. reaching up she hugged him. "Thank you so much." The was tears in her eyes. Michael just nodded embarassed by her gratitude. He disentangled himself from her grasp.

"Don't mention it." He muttered.

.

They retreated to Fiona's home. Michael leading the way. Once inside Fiona turned him around and gave him a peck on the cheek. "That was very thoughtful Michael." She told him.

Sam didn't seem quite so pleased. "You've accepted that money from Ottoman." He accused.

"It would just sit in that account otherwise Sam. It might as well get used." Michael retorted. "It's not like they don't already have their claws into me."

"What does that mean?" Fiona asked looking between the two men. "Michael?"

"Ok Jesse let's go." Sam made the decision. He pulled the younger man back toward the door. One of two things was about to occur and he didn't think he or Jesse should present when either of them happened.

"Michael?" Fiona queried again.

"That debrief, it was more than I let on." He held her head in his hands and stared into her eyes. "The people I was watching. Ottoman gave me a choice, kill them or be killed." He hoped she understood.

"And you're still here." She said, staring straight back at him. She paused searching his face with her eyes. "I'm glad." She moved his hands away, wrapping her own around his neck her fingers playing through his hair "You did a good thing today Michael. Just think about that." She whispered into his ear.

As he lent in to claim her lips she pulled away, her hands leaving his neck. Instead she caught hold of his waist band and pulled him towards her bedroom.

"You promised me all the fun I could want remember?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve,

Michael woke up with a big grin plastered on his face. He lay stretched out under Fiona's very comfy duvet. He stared up at the bedroom ceiling, his hands behind his head, it was the first good nights sleep he had managed in quite a while. Fiona's head was resting on his chest and when he went to move she tried to snuggle into him even more. Gently, so as not to disturb her he moved her head onto a pillow and quietly slid out of the bed. He noticed it was already past ten o clock, grabbing a towel he headed into the shower.

Fiona woke up to the smell of her favourite egg white only Spanish omelette cooking and the coffee machine bubbling away. Getting up and slipping on a light dressing gown she walked into her lounge. Michael had already set out a tray for her breakfast and was just serving the omelette onto a plate. He looked over at her, "I was going to bring it into you." She smiled at the look of disappointment on his face.

"It's ok I'm up now, and it's getting late." She pointed out. "Aren't you meant to be meeting Sam this morning?" She sat down on the sofa and allowed him to place the tray on her lap.

He nestled down into the seat next to her, leaning in to nibble on her ear. "I could meet up with Sam later." He hinted.

"I know you could Michael," She moved her ear out of his reach. "But if you remember, I agreed to take your Mother to lunch and to do some shoe shopping." She liked this new, attentive Michael.

He dropped his head onto her shoulder. "Do you have to?" He breathed the words onto her neck.

"It would hurt her feelings if I cancelled now." She smiled.

He sat up and looked her in the eye, deciding she was serious. He took a bite of her omelette and got to his feet. "Ok, I'll go find Sam."

.

"So everything all right with you two?" Sam asked, kicking a chair back for Michael to sit down. They were sat inside Carlito's, all the outside tables already taken up by tourists.

"Why shouldn't it be?" Michael countered. Reaching for the iced tea Sam had ordered him.

"So where is she? Resting up?" He gave a lewd grin.

"Taking my mom shoe shopping." Michael pulled a face. "So you have something for me?"

Sam placed Michael's wrist watch on the table. "So it's got a range of about a mile, that means we're going to have to keep tabs on you. It's got a battery life of about two hours so you switch the tracker on by pushing in the winder. When do you plan on removing the infestation from your loft?"

"Today, I'll go through it then, I wondered if you fancied double checking I've not missed anything?"

"Sure thing, it will have to be early because I've got a hot date of my own tonight, a cocktail waitress called Amber." He raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

.

Michael had already found most of the listening devices, so after he had removed them from their hiding spots. He moved onto a more challenging search, the cushions on his chairs, the mattress and the bed itself. The leather couch upstairs and finally he ran a search for optical bugs. With his final assortment of listening devices plus two hidden cameras gathered up, he let Sam loose to search for more. Once the two men were happy that the loft was bug free, Sam left to prepare for his hot date and Michael dropped all the electronics into the canal behind his home. Then with Jesse parked a couple of blocks away Michael sat down to wait.

.

Three boring days later he was still waiting for Ottoman's team to swoop in and drag him away. Sam, Jesse and Fiona were all taking turns watching from a distance. He was beginning to think he should go with Fiona's idea of going back to the document storage depot where she sent the disarmed letter bomb. He got up to get a yoghurt from the fridge, only to realise he was now out of supplies. He knew it was a risk but he needed yoghurt and maybe walking down the street he would make a more enticing target.

He was right, after leaving the local grocery store two men came up to him one on each side. A pistol was dug into his ribs. He allowed them to direct him into a parked SUV, he was a little upset when they threw his shopping into the nearest garbage bin. Then they handcuffed him and dropped a bag over his head. Being as careful as he could he pressed the winder in on his watch. At some point on the drive they sedated him, because he didn't remember getting out of the car or being handcuffed to a chair.

On the table in front of him was the watch, the back had been removed and Sam's tracking device exposed. Michael felt his blood run cold. He had known this was a possibility, but had deemed it worth the risk. He was reasonably confident they wouldn't kill him but he expected the next few hours to be painful.

When Ottoman entered the room, he was accompanied by three other men, Michael kept his eyes on the small seemingly harmless man with the clipboard.

"You recognize the device Mr Westen?"

"My watch." Michael replied, keeping his cool.

The three guards closed in on him. A punch to his eye opened the skin along an old scar, a second blow to his mouth split open his lip and gums, filling his mouth with blood and while he was reeling from the sudden attacks the last guard hit him squarely in the solar plexus knocking all the air out of his body. Gasping for air, he nearly choked from the blood in his mouth.

"Sam Axe's work I believe." The same calm, unaffected voice letting him know the information he was trying to protect was worthless. They already knew everything.

Michael didn't answer, he was trying to get his breathe back. A hand grabbed his hair wrenching his head up. He hoped they concentrated on him and didn't decide to bring Sam in for questioning.

"Very good work actually." Ottoman picked the tracker up turning it over in his hand. The only sound, Michael's laboured breathing. "You continue to try our patience Mr Westen. Do you think this is all a game?" He gently placed the tracker back down on the table.

"No I think your very serious," Michael answered "but I don't respond well to threats to my friends and family." A heavy blow landed on top of his shoulder, he thought he may of heard the crack of his collarbone breaking.

"That is what the your dossier says. I've been reviewing actually. Very entertaining in parts." He laid a folder on the table, and opened it. "Other parts are quite worrying. Tell me, do you know who this is?"

One of them pushed Michael's head forward to study the photo. It showed an image of a woman in her mid to late fifties, greyish brown hair tied back in a loose bun. Dressed in a knee length black skirt, with a matching jacket over a white blouse. Blood dripped onto the woman's photo, faintly reminding Michael what she had looked like last time he had seen her.

"Maybe. It's been a few years." It had been seventeen years ago he had last seen her, crying and with blood on her face and neck.

Ottoman pulled out another photograph this one showing the same woman coming out of her house. It was the same house where as a young agent he had visited on a regular basis. Having spent most Sundays when not on assignment eating dinner at her dining table and once a Thanks giving meal.

Another blow to the same shoulder. He couldn't help it, a gasp escaped his lips, the collarbone was definitely broken now. He sagged only staying upright because of the hand in his hair.

"She kept the house as you can see but she couldn't face keeping her job. The chance of meeting you or her ex husband too much for her to bare. She left Military Intelligence and started up her own company a year after the divorce."

This time a blow to the side of his head, and his hair was released. His head hit the table and he didn't try to move, he was just hanging onto consciousness.

"Now, what brought us to this point is that her name is the first one decoded out of Simon's bible. Further research has revealed she was your friend Vaughn's handler. You might be vague about her, but she certainly remembered you. I understand she had brought your name up several times regarding a burn notice, but you were considered, difficult." Ottoman's lips twitched at the last word.

Michael forced his head up off the table, trying to focus on Ottoman. "She's the one who burnt me?" He asked, not sure how to feel. Angry yes. But also he could understand why she had done it, he was not proud about what happened that night.

"Not just her, it was a joint decision I am sure. But now we come to another problem. What do you know about this?" He placed a row of four photographs out on the table ignoring Michael's blood that was smeared over the surface.

"She was never covert intelligence." Michael was trying to understand what he had been told. He received a hard kick to his ankle.

"Concentrate, and look at the photo's Mr Westen." He was ordered. His head was forced back towards the table. The photo's showed Sam Axe with the woman. Two were from around the time Michael had known her, the other two more recent.

"I don't understand." He mumbled, desperately trying to work out why Sam would be with her.

"Neither do we Mr Westen, are you saying you were not aware of Mr Axe's relationship with the lady in question?"

"Sam knew her." Michael admitted. "But he would never-" His head was slammed hard onto the table, an elbow was driven into the middle of his back. Blood erupted out of his mouth and for a second he passed out.

"Do not lie again Mr Westen, the evidence is in front of you. Mr Axe, was seeing her both before and after her divorce. These later shots show him with her at a hotel close to Langley a year ago."

"He wouldn't." He sighed the words out as another blow to the head knocked him out cold.

"Clean him up." Ottoman gathered up the folder. "Get this room clean I want him back here in an hour." He was walking out the door as he finished speaking.

He woke up in agony, someone had cleaned the blood off his face and out of his mouth but his whole head felt swollen and sore. One eye was completely shut and the other gave everything a red tint. His left arm hung useless and the pain in his neck and shoulder reminded him of the broken collarbone. He was handcuffed now just by one wrist, he guessed that they planned to carry on working on his left arm. The two men guarding the door, stared over his head. He realised for the first time they were wearing thin gloves with what looked like lead shot sown into the knuckles. That explained all the blood and how easily they had damaged him.

He tried to go over what he had learnt. He knew who had burnt him now and why, that alone made all this worthwhile. But what was Sam up to? He couldn't believe Sam would betray him. Sure he had been mad about what had happened. But it was so long ago and Sam had never directly questioned him about that night. His train of thought came to a halt as the door opened and Ottoman came back into the room.

"So, what are your thoughts on Mrs Chloe Sherrington?" Ottoman asked, he read Michael's silence correctly. "That's her latest married name, she has been married three times in total. The latest is General Alexander Sherrington who is seconded to the State Department."

"Sam wouldn't-" Michael wanted to get back to what they had planned for Sam. He got no further, as his damaged arm was dragged up and backwards as he groaned in pain he was hit hard on the side of his head causing the arm to be jerked even harder. He swore and the arm was twisted until he screamed.

"Answer my questions Mr Westen I don't know why you fail to grasp the concept."

"I don't have any thoughts about her." He finally admitted.

"Another lie, Mr Westen." He spoke over Michael's scream as his arm was twisted again.

"I I can't think about what I feel about her." He was relieved when they let go of his arm.

"This is what is going to happen. In a weeks time Mrs Sherrington will be coming to Miami. You are going to talk to her. Convince her to speak to her husband about a telecommunications contract Drake would very much like to win. You are then going to tell her that we require the exact location of Simon Escher and, if you want to, you can tell her how we will get her to comply with our wishes if she refuses to listen to reason. Finally while doing this you will curb your own murderous inclinations. You got away with arranging Vaughn's death but it will not happen again." He paused to see if Michael would argue. Satisfied with the lack of response, he turned to the guards. "Get a medic to repair his arm. Then call his friends to pick him up."

.

Michael's shoulder was reset and then his whole arm strapped to his body. His gums and lip both recieved stitches as did his eye. Once they had put him back together and given him painkillers, someone called for a cab to take him home.

He moved as if in a daze. He now knew who had burnt him and why they had chosen him. All this time, and now he had the answers, but it would mean very little if his best friend had betrayed him. It hadn't even registered with him that they had allowed him to see where he had been held.

Back at the loft, he let himself inside and went to get a bite to eat only to realise he had nothing in the fridge. He sat down on his bed, still trying to decide what to do. He had a week to find out what was going on. He was still sat there when his door was thrown open and Sam and Fiona came barging in.

"Would it kill you to let us know that you're fine?" Fiona stormed over to his side, taking note of the strapped up arm and all the cuts and bruises.

"We knew they were onto our plan when the tracker went dead and we were surrounded by paramilitary types. How hurt are you?" She sat down next to him. She wanted to touch him, to reassure herself he was in one piece, but everywhere looked so sore.

"I'm fine Fi." He replied automatically. His gaze kept going to Sam, wondering if he had been wrong about his friend all this time. He knew that Sam had been attracted to Chloe all those years ago. But to act on it would of been suicidal, and Sam was not about unnecessary risk.

"Something up Mike?" Sam had noticed the strange look he was recieving, hell Fiona had noticed as well. She was looking between the two of them confusion plain on her face.

"It's nothing, I'm tired that's all." He pulled himself together. Yawning, he shrugged his jacket off. "You two mind if I get some sleep?"

"Sure thing buddy." Sam headed towards the door. "You staying Fi?"

"Michael?" She queried.

"Go Fi, I just need to lie down for a bit. Just help me get this thing off before you go." He tried to get his arm free from all the strapping. Sam waited and watched as Fiona helped Michael get comfortable. Once he was lying down they both left.

"So what do you think is up with Mikey?" Sam asked as they walked down the steps.

"It's the same everytime Ottoman calls him in for an interrogation, or a debrief, or whatever you call it. He comes back a bigger mess than before." She snapped.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen,

Michael lay on his bed, he wanted to sleep, he really did. Only he was not going to be able to until he cleared the air with Sam. He heard a car engine start and sat up. He gasped at the pain that radiated from his shoulder, but did his best to ignore it. Getting to his feet he moved as fast as he could to the door.

Sam and Fiona had just got into Sam's car, as Sam started the engine Michael came out on to the stairs. "We need to talk." Michael shouted down to them.

Sam switched off the engine and the pair of them looked up at him. Michael offering to talk, to share information was almost unheard off. As he walked back into the loft they jumped out of the car and hurried back up the stairs.

He sat down on the bed waiting for them both to return. Once they were both inside and the door shut, he gave a sigh and tried to move his injured arm into a comfortable position. Sam checked the fridge and slammed the door shut in disgust when he realized the was no beer. So he lent against the work top a bottle of water in his hand. Fiona sat down in the chair next to the bed. Both of them waiting to hear what Michael had to say.

"They've started to decipher Simon's bible." He told them. "He had a name for me, the person who burnt me. Turns out I know her." He turned his head and stared at Sam. "So do you, she used to be Chloe Brenner, remember her Sam?"

Sam's eyes had gone wide. "No." He had been leaning against the work bench which Michael used as a kitchen counter. Now he sat down on one of the chairs. "No Mike you've gotta be wrong. She's got her own company. She -"

Michael cut him off. "She was Vaughn's handler. That's what Ottoman believes and I've got to get her to tell me where they are holding Simon."

"Mike, I saw her earlier this year. I went up to Langley I thought someone might be able to tell me where you were being held. I got nowhere. She tried to help me, got me a meeting with her husband. But he couldn't help."

"Ottoman has photo's of you with her, coming out of a hotel, he thinks you've been sleeping with her. Passing her information."

"Is that what this is about? Do you think I would betray you like that?" Sam was hurt and angry. Did Michael really think that he had been selling him out for the last four years.

"I don't think you're working with her." Michael spoke softly. Fiona had moved to sit next to him. "But Ottoman does. And if I mess up getting her to do what he wants, it will probably come down on you."

Fiona put her hand on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "So you won't mess up." She told him.

He placed his hand over hers, but he stared at Sam. "You should leave while you can."

"No." Sam had no intention of running away.

"No?" Michael repeated.

"No." Sam confirmed. "If you fail to do what they want. What do you think they'll do to you? Especially if I've runaway. Not going to happen brother. You're just going to have to come up with a plan that will work."

Michael stared at him hardly able to credit what he heard. "A plan that will work?" He echoed Sam's words.

"You got it Mikey." Sam grinned.

"O-k" He did have a plan. He still had the one idea that would either get them a bit of Leverage or get them killed. "We need to find out as much as we can about Ottoman."

"I thought we decided that was a bad idea." Sam had really hoped Michael had forgotten that plan. As far as he was concerned that was a last ditch desperate move. He didn't think they were there yet.

"The tracker failed yeah. But if we can at least dig up some intel on him, it might make him back off." Michael was beginning to really want some payback on Ottoman.

"Or it might make him torture you to death instead." Fiona commented. Michael gave her a dirty look in response.

"We'll get the plans for the building they took me to last time. Set up cameras to cover the exits. Once I can ID Ottoman one of you can follow him, find out where he lives and we'll go from there depending on the intel."

"I don't like this plan Mike." Sam told him. "You can't take them on that way. They found the tracker, they'll notice surveillance equipment. Forget Ottoman and do the job."

"Sam's right." Fiona added. "We should be finding out all about this woman. Working out where you're going to be able to grab her."

Michael looked from one to the other noting the steely look in their eyes. "Ok we'll leave Ottoman alone for now. They're going to let me know where she's staying once she arrives in town. We need to find some place to hold her if she doesn't want to co-operate."

Both Fiona and Sam visibly relaxed at the new plan. They just needed to find a deserted property and make it secure.

x

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I have a back injury which has started to play up and the pain meds I have to take mess up my concentration. I'll try and do some more over the weekend depending on how I get on. Thank you to everyone who reviews my story, and those who have marked it as a favourite also those who just like to read it . I appreciate all of you and definitely plan on finish this story in the next week or so.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen,

Michael drove over to his mother's house early in the morning hoping to avoid both the rush hour traffic and his mother. He stood outside the garage that Jesse Porter called home. He double checked that the lights were still off in his mother's kitchen then knocked on the door. Jesse opened his door and stood aside as Michael pushed inside.

"What happened to you?" He asked, staring at all the bruises and cuts. He also noted how Michael held his arm, he guessed his left arm was severely injured as well.

"Don't worry about it." Michael sat down heavily on one of Jesse's dining chairs. " I need you to do me a favour."

Jesse narrowed his eyes, Michael would only come to him if Fiona and Sam had refused to help. "What are you up to Westen?" he asked.

" I want you to find someone for me. I have a description and an address where he works. I want to know where he lives, has he got a family, his private cell number. You were counter intel, you get the idea."

"This the same guy that did that to you?" He pointed out Michael's injuries. " What's his name? Ottoman. Is that right?"

"Yeah" Michael replied, his eyes had taken on a cold hard look. He smiled but it was more like a baring of the teeth.

"Er, didn't you make a promise not to-"

" I'm not. You are." He interrupted. "You will keep this quiet, don't get caught. While I play nice." He paused to let Jesse think about what he was asking him to do.

Jesse knew that he was still on shaky ground with Michael. It just went to show how desperate he was to get the information on Ottoman.

" I do this, you don't do anything without running it by all of us?"

" Sure." There it was, that you can trust me completely smile. Jesse hated that smile it reminded him of all the times he had been lied to or kept in the dark. It reminded him of all the reasons he had not to trust the man sat in front of him.

Jesse sighed. He knew Michael was only telling him what he wanted to hear. " I'll do it, but I mean it you don't do anything without telling us."

Michael dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is a description of Ottoman and the address of the offices where I think he works I'll let you know when I have more to go on."

Jesse looked at the piece of paper and relaxed, if this was all he had to go on the investigation would take forever.

Michael got to his feet, he had got what he wanted and now he wanted to get away before he ran into his mother. " I'll keep in touch." He said heading for the door. He stepped outside and looked straight into the eyes of his mother who was at her kitchen sink.

"Michael. How nice to see you. Are you coming in for breakfast?" She called out through the window.

Jesse heard Madeline's voice and watched with some amusement as Michael's back stiffened, then his head dropped forward, finally he walked out shutting door behind him. Jesse still smiling, sat down and picked up the paper Michael had left, opening his laptop he set out to see what he could find out about Ottoman and the building where he worked. Later he would go down there and have a look around. See if he could find a good spot to watch from.

.

" So what happened this time?" Madeline asked as she looked Michael up and down.

" Just a little accident Ma nothing to worry about." He replied.

Madeline wasn't fooled at all. In fact she was becoming increasingly worried. He looked terrible and even though he was very good at hiding injuries and ignoring pain. He wasn't hiding it very well now. He was also losing weight and it wasn't like the was a lot to him in the first place.

" Really, well go sit down I'll cook you some breakfast." She started to pull eggs and bacon out of the fridge.

" I'll just have a coffee." He told her.

" I'm cooking you a meal Michael accept it." Her tone hardened a little bit.

He sat at the table eating the cooked breakfast. She watched him for a moment noting how he only used his right hand. The left being kept close to his side the hand resting on his lap. She was going to call Fiona later and find out what was going on.

" So you and Jesse getting on a bit better now?" She asked. She used the slightly whiny tone that she knew got on his nerves.

"Yeah we're good." He mumbled as he ate.

" What are you doing over here so early?" She tried to get him to open up a little.

He finished his breakfast and took a sip of his coffee. " I wanted to miss the traffic, my arm is a little sore." He said. Then gave her a grin. "And I thought I'd like to have breakfast with you."

She gave him a smile, it would have been nice thought if it were true. "So are you staying for a while?"

He was saved from answering by his cell phone ringing. "Just a minute Ma." He turned away from her and answered the call.

"The is a car waiting for you outside. Go and get in it." The call ended. Michael slowly put the phone back into his pocket. Turning back to his mother he got up and tried for a reassuring smile.

"I've got to go, the is a car waiting for me. I'll be back soon." He dropped the keys to the charger on to the table. "Ask Jesse to put the car up on the drive." He didn't wait for her reply, before leaving.

.

A black SUV sat at the curb waiting for him. When he reached it a man got out and held the door open for him. Once inside he sat between two men in plain black suits and dark sun glasses. The was no conversation. When the car came to a stop in an underground car park they took his cell phones. Once he was out of the car he stood while they searched him for weapons, then he was escorted up to the seventh floor. When the lift doors opened he was escorted out and along a corridor to a set of imposing oak doors. One of the guards knocked on the door. Then sent Michael inside, shutting the door behind him.

Michael stepped into a large wood panelled room, Reid Ottoman sat behind an impressive desk piled up with thick folders. "Take a seat." Ottoman Spoke without looking up.

Sitting down in a very comfortable chair Michael scanned the room looking for any clue to his new handler's private life. The were no photo's, no art on the walls, no ornaments not a single thing to tell Michael who this man really was. He turned his attention back to the man, again the nothing that he could see that was personal. When he finished his scrutiny of the room and the man, he sat back and waited for him to finish what he was doing.

Finally Ottoman put the papers he was studying down and gave Michael his full attention. Before he could speak Michael wanted to clear something up.

"I've spoken to Sam, it's what I told you, he knows her socially has done for years. He was at Langley last year trying to find out what had happened to me. That was all."

"Mr Axe's predicament is non of your business. What is your business is Mrs Sherrington has changed her plans she now arrives tomorrow. She will only be staying three days. Probably because Miami is no longer quite so safe for her side." Ottoman did what he always did and ignored Michael's concerns.

"I am not doing anything until I get a guarantee that Sam is safe." Michael remarked his voice firm.

"Really. Let me explain your position Mr Westen. You are an asset, who at the moment is more trouble than he is worth. If I was you I would be more worried about my own future."

Michael recognized a threat when he heard one. He also remembered his promise to his friends, try and earn a little trust. Get a little more freedom. Stop getting badly beaten.

"So why am I here?" He backtracked, letting Ottoman think he had won.

" Mrs Sherrington's itinerary," He was handed a thin folder. "Also the details of her hotel suite. The is a copy of her usual security detail but she may change it because of your presence. Also we have a facility where you will interview her. The are cameras and sound equipment already in place."

"Why aren't your own people grabbing her if you don't trust me to get you what you want?"

"You are our people Mr Westen, now do your job and allow me to move on to more important matters."

Michael tried once more to get some sort of guarantee for Sam. "If I do this will you leave Sam alone?"

"If this assignment goes well, it will go some way to proving your friend's innocence in the matter. But the are no guarantees Mr Westen the matter is still under investigation."

He had to be happy with that. Michael got to his feet the folder in his hand, Ottoman had already started examining another document. As he reached the door, "Oh Mr Westen, if you fail on this assignment it won't just be you and Mr Axe who will be in trouble." Michael froze in place just for a second then opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.

They dropped him back at his mothers house, and handed him back his cell phones. He walked up the driveway noticing Sam's car parked up behind the charger.

He let himself in through the front door, Sam was sat on the sofa leaning forward over the coffee table an old radio lay in pieces before him.

"That thing was old when I left home the first time Sam." Michael commented.

"Yeah well thanks to your early morning disappearing act I've had to deal with a pissed off Fiona. A word of advice Mike, next time you go out without waking her up, leave a note."

"Where is she?" Michael asked looking around.

"Out shopping with your ma. Maddy is trying to distract her. So what did they want with you this time?"

Michael sat down next to Sam and picked up a piece of the radio pretending to study it. "Chloe arrives tomorrow, I've got all the details here. They have a facility they want us to take her to, already kitted out with cameras and sound." He dropped the folder onto the sofa between them.

"They doing the interview, cos I'm not happy with the idea of handing a woman over to them." Sam picked up the folder to look through the details.

"No that's my job, but they don't trust me. I guess they want to control the situation. I tried to get them to drop the case against you as well but no deal."

"It's ok Mike, it's not your fault."

"The is another thing, I don't think I can get close enough to grab her, not in my present condition anyway."

Sam paused his repair job on the radio. "You want me to do it? Damn it Mike."

"I wouldn't ask-"

"I know, unless you had to." he turned to face Michael. "You have got to promise me you won't hurt her."

"I can promise you I won't, but if Ottoman gets involved-" Michael left the sentence hanging.

"I do this. I want to make some changes to the plan. I trust you Mike, but Ottoman." He shook his head " I'm not going to let you hand her over to him whatever happens."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen,

Michael woke up with pain flaring through his shoulder, down his left arm and up into his neck. He must of moved in his sleep and was now wide awake trying to steady his breathing so as not to wake up Fiona who lay sleeping next to him. Carefully he sat up holding his arm tight against his body, his right hand supporting the left elbow. He could feel where the two ends of the broken clavicle had been grinding against each other and now the whole area was inflamed. He tried to take short shallow breathes as even the slight movement of his chest made the pain worse.

He climbed out of his bed and padded bare foot into the kitchen, he had pain killers in one of the drawers, it took him a couple of minutes to find the packet and then to get them out trying to only use one hand. Normally he would of put up with the pain but in a few hours they were putting Sam's plan into action and he needed to be able to do his part.

He slumped down into a chair waiting for the tablets to take effect, he knew he was paying for the day before, when he kept the arm out of the sling he was meant to be wearing. Half an hour later, the pain had barely reduced, he got up and began to pace. Trying to take his mind off the throbbing ache that seemed to of taken over the whole of the upper left side of his body. Hearing Fiona beginning to stir he sat back down, no need for her to lose sleep as well. He reached over to her with his good hand and gently brushed her hair off her face, feeling the texture of her long golden brown locks in his hand. She stirred again, and he removed his hand from her hair to pull the blanket up around her a bit more. Then he sat back wishing the damn painkillers would start working.

He began to think about the job, about how he was going to come face to face with the person who burnt him. He hadn't thought about Chloe Brenner, as she had been, for years. But when he heard the name and was told it was her, he had immediately believed it to be true. When he had seen the photograph and his blood had dripped on to her face it brought all the details flooding back.

"Michael, what are you doing up?" Fiona sat up. He jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, he must have been dozing off.

"It's ok Fi I've just taken a couple of pills you go back to sleep." He replied.

She climbed out of the bed untangling her feet from the sheet and blanket that had covered her. Getting up she went and turned on the light. So she could see him properly, he had sounded awful. He shut his eyes tight as the light came on, and groaned when she came over and gently examined the black and blue bruised skin that covered most of the left side of his upper body.

"You need something to bring down the swelling." She told him. She moved to the kitchen, looking in the small freezer section of the fridge. "Don't you have any ice?" She asked

" The is an instant ice pack in the drawer, the second one down under the one with the detonators and fuses." He could hear her opening drawers and rustling around. Then she was back at his side, pressing down on the pack to start it working. She handed it to him.

"There, try and hold that in place." She sat on the bed facing him. "Anywhere else hurt?"

"Nothing I can't handle." He relaxed back in the chair as best he could.

"Really, because the is something I'd like to talk about." She sat forward, staring at him intently.

"Fi now isn't the time-" He hated it when she wanted to talk. It normally led to fighting. He really wasn't up to a fight. Of any sort.

"It's the perfect time Michael. What do you think Ottoman is going to do to you when he realises you're not following his plan?"

Michael shut his eyes, when he opened them he had a cold guarded expression on his face. She sighed, why did he do this every time she asked a question he didn't like. She tried to explain her fears.

" You've still not got full use of your hands, I've seen how you have trouble buttoning your shirts. Now this, with your shoulder. I'm worried about you, if you do this Sam's way without clearing it with them, they could cripple you, or kill you. Why are you risking your life to keep this woman away from Ottoman?"

He thought about ignoring her question, but he knew she wouldn't give up, so he decided to tell her the truth.

She was surprised when he began to speak, he still had the guarded expression on his face and his tone was emotionless like he was just giving a report.

"Her husband, her first husband was my training officer when I was recruited into the CIA. I got to know them both really well. She worked at the Pentagon, a tactical analyst, threat assessment that sort of thing. Anyway a few years later I'm working with Larry, we come back after a mission and while we're in a bar we meet up with David, he and Larry knew each other, they had apparently done quite a few jobs together back in the day. After a couple of drinks he says he is going home to surprise Chloe, he wasn't due back for two more days." He paused, moving the ice pack slightly. Fiona kept quiet letting him take his time. Frightened he'd clam up if she interrupted him. "Well he certainly surprised her. Larry gets a phone call and we drop everything and get round there. David's found her with another man and killed him. She's hysterical and covered in blood. David is screaming at her and then Larry starts giving out orders. Says the is no way he is letting his friend ruin his career over an unfaithful wife and we have to clean the mess up. Well we shove her into the bathroom and get to work on the room by the time we're finished you would never of known anything had happened. So Larry then starts talking about leaving no witnesses, and David agrees with him." He took another break. Moving the ice pack again this time to the back of his neck. " In the end they let me talk to her see if I can convince her to keep quiet, Larry is screwing a silencer onto his gun while he is telling me I have ten minutes. Well I get it done, she promises to keep her mouth shut and if the police ever turn up she'll tell them what we tell her to." He wiped a hand over his face, the guarded look slipped a little. "Fi, I became just like my Dad, she was already scared and I nearly pushed her over the edge."

"You kept her alive." Fiona pointed out. She had over the years faced down many dangerous men, but she knew how to look after herself. She had chosen a way of life that led to these things sometimes happening. The whole thing seemed a mess, an unfaithful wife, a drunk husband with a gun and two trained assassins trying to sort it all out, a combination sure to end up with threats and violence.

"I don't think she saw it that way Fi" He replied. "She put in her resignation the following day and applied for a divorce. I think she came after me because as far as she knows I'm the only one left alive." He yawned as he finished speaking. The pain killers finally having an effect.

"Come on, lets go back to bed get a couple of hours sleep. I'll go out early, see if I can get you some sort of support for your shoulder." She helped him to his feet and over onto the bed. "Just promise me you won't sacrifice yourself for this woman if she won't do as Ottoman wants." He went to speak but she put a finger to his lips. "It wasn't a request." She kissed his forehead and pulled the covers over him. Then climbing in next to him she laid an arm over his stomach and went back to sleep. She felt sorry for Chloe, she really did, but it was Michael and she would do whatever it took to keep him safe.

He lay still, his eyes opened and shut a few times, he actually felt a bit better for having spoken about what had happened, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

.

It was a little after mid-day Sam sat across from the Hotel, waiting for a call from Jesse to say Chloe was on the way out of her room. He hated what he was about to do. He hated the reasons why he was doing it. They were not going after the person who had burnt Michael to find out why they had done it, as soon as Michael had heard who it was, he knew why. They weren't trying to get the burn notice lifted either, too many things had happened now for that to be a possibility.

No, they were going to bully and threaten a woman he had known for years, who at one time had been his lover. All in the name of a corporate giant out to make more money and to free a dangerous sociopath who worked for them.

In end Sam had made Michael change part of the plan. He said he would take full responsibility for whatever happened. Michael had raised an eyebrow, and informed him if things went wrong they would all end up paying. Fiona had scowled at him, but kept her mouth shut.

The call came, she was getting ready to leave. So here he was getting out of his car, straightening his tie, putting on his jacket and slicking back his hair. Then he headed across the road and into the hotel. All the time telling himself how much he hated this job.

He walked into the lobby and straight up to the reception desk a big friendly smile plastered onto his face.

"Hi," He greeted the receptionist. "Could you let Ms Diane Summers Room 647 know that I've arrived." He saw the lift doors open and Chloe Sherrington step out with her two bodyguards.

"I'm sorry sir the is no one with that name staying here." As the receptionist finished her speech, Sam pretended to notice Chloe for the first rime.

"Sorry I must of got the wrong hotel" He turned away even while speaking to her. "Chloe!" He raised his voice just loud enough for her to hear. She turned and looked him up and down, then scanned the room, satisfied, she smiled and held out her hand to him. "Sam, Sam Axe so good to see you, you're looking well."

He took her hand and brought it up to his lips kissing it with a mere brush of his lips. He then lent in and kissed her cheek. "Chloe, baby you are a sight for sore eyes why didn't you let me know you were coming to Miami?"

"It's just a business trip, I leave in a day or so. What are you doing here? Her eyes were still glancing around the room. This was Michael Westen's best friend, and Michael had already killed at least three of her best people. As far as she knew she was safe but it always paid to be cautious.

"I think I may have been stood up. Met a lady last night we were meant to be going out for a meal but I've got the wrong hotel." He gave her his most charming smile, and she returned it.

"Well her loss is my gain, I've got a table booked, come have lunch with me." Sam was always good company. At the moment she really needed the distraction of a hour or two of harmless flirtation.

They had a long lunch talking for the most part about the old days when she had been between husbands one and two. She casually asked a few questions about Michael, he told her nothing she didn't all ready know. All in all it was an enjoyable few hours. While they had talked and joked Sam had managed under the eyes of her security to drop a bug and a tracker into her handbag.

Eventually they got up, Sam suggested a walk along the beach. But didn't push it when she said no. she told him she had work to do but promised to be in touch soon. He smiled and kissed her cheek before saying goodbye. He walked away feeling like a traitor.

She watched him leave knowing that something was wrong but not knowing what. She would keep her guard up and tighten her security.

.

As Sam walked away he knew he was being watched he could feel unfriendly eyes on him. It wasn't long before he felt a very unfriendly gun press into his back. "What are you doing talking to our target?" A voice whispered into his ear as he was pushed into a black SUV.

"We-" The gun barrel moved from his back to under his jaw.

"Shut up." The pressure of the barrel increased.

"In my-"Sam tried to explain a second time.

"Where's Westen?" The gun was moved from his face and dug into his ribs.

Sam hesitated if he told them where Michael was before they knew what he had planned it would all go wrong. He chose his words carefully. "I dropped a bug and a tracker into her handbag the receiver is in my car. Mike is inside waiting to talk to her in her room." He waited to see what effect is words would have.

"Keys." He was ordered. He handed over his car keys and tried to get comfortable now the gun barrel had been removed from his face. It wasn't easy as he sat between two men both holding guns pointed at his stomach.

A third man came back to the car with the equipment to listen to Chloe's conversations. Once they were set up and could tell the bug was working the man who had been doing all the talking made a phone call.

"He's changed the plan on us, Axe had lunch with her and planted a bug, we're listening in now. Westen is going to interrogate her in her room."

"Yes we have him." The man glanced at Sam. "Yes sir I'll keep you informed." He closed the phone and smiled at Sam. "Looks like your staying with us. And you better hope Westen is successful, because at the moment that's your only hope."

A/N: One chapter left should be finished in a couple of days. Thank you for reading. A big thank you to all who review.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter sixteen,

Madeline was on her way to Disney World, not a normal destination for a woman of retirement age on her own, but it was one of Michaels favourite locations to send his mother when danger threatened. This time it was Jesse who had come into the house the night before and quietly explained to her that Mike was doing a potentially dangerous job and he would like her out of the way, some where safe, faraway with armed security guards. Well it wasn't quite like that she admitted it to herself. Jesse had been vague, but she had managed to drag a few details out of him. Then she had done as she was asked. By nine am she had been on her way, it was now shortly after mid-day, if she had been trained to recognize when she was being followed she would of spotted the two cars that had been tailing her since she left home. The first she knew about it was when she suddenly lost control of her car, as a tyre blew out. As she pulled over the two following cars went with her, one went in front and one behind. A man dressed in a nice suit wearing sunglasses got out of the lead car and walked back to her, she noticed he gave her a nice smile as he lent in through her open window.

"Mrs Westen, Ma'am, we'd like to offer you a lift back to Miami. Disney world, very busy, full of kids, no place for a lady on her own." He opened her door, then as he reached in and took the car keys she saw his gun. When she didn't move, he took hold of her arm. "Now Mrs Westen, let's keep this nice and friendly." He didn't exactly pull her from the car but he definitely gave her no choice.

.

Once Sam and Chloe were sitting down, discussing the menu and waiting for their cocktails to be delivered. Fiona took over the job of watching them, ready to report to Michael and Jesse when Chloe or her security detail headed back upstairs. She sat in the lobby quietly reading a rather thick magazine, a hat concealing her hair and partially hiding her features. She frowned when a well dressed youngish man sat down next to her. He lent in towards her and as she opened her mouth to tell him to get lost she felt a gun barrel touch her side. "Let's get up and go for a walk Ms Glenanne." She weighed up her options. She really didn't have any, at least not while sat in the hotel. Smiling at him she got to her feet, he wrapped an arm over her shoulders pulling her in close hiding the gun he held on her. "When we get outside, you try anything and your boyfriend's mother won't survive her trip back from Orlando." Once outside, he took her bag and directed her into a rather nice BMW. Sitting between two men on the back seat she was already trying to think of a way out of her situation.

.

Earlier on in the day, Fiona had _borrowed_ the master key card from the hotel cleaning staff and had run it through a skimmer. Then an associate had made a cloned card that now allowed Michael and Jesse to wait in a vacant room for Chloe to go to lunch. As soon as she came out Jesse sent Sam and Fiona a message giving them time to get into position.

Fiona sent a text back, Chloe and Sam were getting very cosy. Having got the all clear they entered Chloe's suite. Michael directed Jesse to place a couple of camcorders up, so they would have the film and sound Ottoman wanted. The was no telling how good Sam's bug would be, besides it was more for him to listen to, in case Michael got into trouble.

"You want me in here with you?" Jesse asked.

"No, I need you outside ready to back me up if she screams or if her security just decides to check on her."

"You gonna be ok, I mean you're not at your best." Jesse was doubtful.

"I'll be fine Jesse, you wait back in the room, any movement by the security get your ass out here and give me a hand. Ideally we want to maintain her position in the company."

They waited for the call from Fiona to say they were on the way back to the suite, but instead they were just lucky that they saw the lift doors open and caught a glimpse of one of the security guards. Cursing Michael disappeared into the suite and Jesse just made it down the corridor and out of sight.

Once in the vacant room Jesse got his phone out, what the hell was Fiona up to, he thought as he brought up her number. The phone went straight to voice mail. Taking a deep breath he then tried Sam's number, the same thing, straight to voice mail. He could do nothing, he had to stay and back Michael up.

.

Chloe walked into her suite, she kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag onto a small side table. She undid the bun and let her hair fall loose running her fingers through it. She had thoroughly enjoyed her lunch with Sam Axe it had been a welcome distraction. She couldn't shake the thought something was wrong. Meeting up with him like that, but all the intelligence that she had gathered confirmed that Westen didn't know about her involvement. What was he up to?

She went and turned the television on, selecting a news channel, she had a meeting in two hours. She went to her wardrobe and pulled out a business skirt suit and a plain white blouse. She had time for a relaxing bath and then she could get ready.

She was leaning over the bath, having just turned on the taps. "Hello Chloe, we need to talk." She froze, her heart racing. Slowly she stood up and faced him. The shock of him suddenly appearing in her bathroom brought a flood of memories.

.

The bathroom door had opened, and Michael had strode in. This wasn't the young agent who had sat at her table eating meals shy and quiet in her presence. This man was angry and intimadating, he crowded her into a corner lent over her a hand on the wall on either side of her head, she could smell the whiskey on his breath she was looking directly into his blue eyes she wondered what had ever made her think they were his best feature. He went on to tell her in graphic terms what they were going to do to her if she ever spoke about what had happened. He had pulled out a knife and held it against her throat until she had promised never to speak about what had happened. When he left the room she had dropped to the floor and sobbed until she ran out of tears. She could hear them talking in low tones and then Larry had opened the door and thrown her some clean clothes telling her he needed her blood covered night dress.

She heard them leave, taking the body with them, when she stepped out of the bathroom David was packing a case. He told her she was to go to a lawyer and get a divorce he wouldn't contest it. He never wanted to see her again.

She resigned from her post in Military Intelligence, and once her notice was up she left Washington hoping never to see the three men who ruined her life again. She had smiled the day she found out David had been killed in Somalia. She was even happier when she heard that Larry Sizemore had walked into a building just before it blew up. That just left Michael Westen, she followed his career from a distance hoping she would hear he was dead some day soon. That was of course before she met husband number two who introduced her to a new business he had just set up with a couple of associates, who had recently been fired from the intelligence service.

.

Now he was there in front of her again, in a bathroom. He moved back slightly and she saw he held a knife much like the one that had haunted her dreams years ago.

"Come and sit down. We need to talk." He nodded his head for her to go through into the lounge.

As she walked passed him she noted the drawn features, the bruises and how he was carrying his left arm. He was truly in a mess, it gave her a small feeling of satisfaction. She sat down in a comfy armchair that gave her a view of the beach. "Your new employer not treating you very well Michael." Her tone conversational, doing her best to hide her fear.

He put the knife away and now held a handgun, he sat down facing her and her eyes grew wide as he screwed a silencer onto the gun.

"Simon's bible brought up your name and I thought we should have a chat." He said. Getting straight to the point. Her face paled at the news. If they had the bible and were apparently decoding it they were going to have to shut down and then start up again with all new personnel.

"So what is the plan here Michael?" She asked. Wondering if he was just playing a game before killing her.

"They would like you to put a word in with your husband about a communications contract coming up." He started with the easy request.

"Is that all? I mean Drake Industries have a very good team of negotiators. I can't believe they would use this just to get a contract they could probably win without me, or are you just an errand boy now?" She knew it was dangerous to bait him but a part of her wanted to know how far she could push him.

Michael didn't bother to explain that they were probably just using the business deal to get their claws into a General working in the State Department. If she didn't know that, she shouldn't be messing about in the intelligence field. The cynic in him wondered if that was her reason for marrying the man.

"They also want to know exactly where you're holding Simon Escher." This was the real reason for the meeting.

"The contract I'll talk to Alexander about it, put in a good word. But the can be no guarantees. It's not only his decision." Chloe was always practical if she could get out of this meeting alive she would figure out a plan later. "Simon though. Not a chance, he is too dangerous to release and not only to us, you were with him. Did he strike you as sane?" She shook her head to emphasis the point. She would be on Simon's hit list if he ever got out.

"Neither part of the deal is a request Chloe. You agree to it, with me here, in your room or I have to hand you over." He softened his voice. "You don't want to meet my boss trust me."

"Are you trying to protect me again Michael?" She smiled. "I mean that's what you told me you were doing last time wasn't it?" She remembered the knife against her throat as he told her he was trying to protect her, it was for her good.

Chloe noted Michael's body tense, it was a slight movement that somebody who wasn't looking for it would miss. He was getting angry."It's not about protecting you, it's about protecting me, and you know me Chloe. I'll do what's necessary to survive." He lent forward his expression hardening. "Remember what happened to Vaughn."

She licked her lips. What he had done to Vaughn had taken them all by surprise. They thought the stress of living constantly under threat had finally sent him the same way as many of the other agents they had burnt over the years. Simon and Victor sprung to mind, both had become violent and unpredictable. His appearance now supported that theory, he was obviously giving his new employers as much trouble as he had given them. He was probably one step away from a bullet in the back of the head.

"So what I'm asking here is that you make a decision. Talk to me or talk to my boss but you will make this deal. Do it my way and your own side needn't know what you've done." He sounded sincere.

She continued to weigh up her options. Not liking either choice. He pulled a phone from his pocket. "Me or them." He reminded her again. He waved the phone. Watching her expression.

"Tick, Tick." He made a move to dial up a number.

"Yes, I'll deal with you." Chloe broke. She jumped when the phone Michael held started to ring.

Michael put the phone to his ear. "Hello."

"Well done Mr Westen, tell Mrs Sherrington we will be in touch tomorrow. Tell her not to worry we will be discrete we want her to continue with her present job." The line went dead.

What the hell he thought, they were listening in which meant they were with Sam. He stared at the phone for a second. Then he pulled himself together he had to get out of this room before he could find out what they had done to Sam.

He put his phone away. "Someone is going to debrief you tomorrow they want to keep the meeting secret to maintain your cover. They'll contact you."

She sat slumped in the chair. "Did Sam set me up?" She asked her voice barely a whisper.

"Sam saved you, I was meant to bring you in, you would of probably been facing one of their interrogators by now." Michael spoke the words with a touch of bitterness in his tone. It was possible Sam was with those interrogators right now. "You need to get ready to go out, take your security with you. I've got things to do."

While Chloe went into her bedroom Michael put a call through to Jesse, but before he could speak Jesse started to tell him what he had missed.

"You've gotta get out here Michael, Neither Sam, Fi or your Mom are answering their phones."

"Give me a minute and I'll be with you, stay where you are." Michael pushed the phone against his forehead, his eyes screwed up tight. They had taken them all, had he done enough to get them back or had he pushed too hard that Ottoman was now going to hurt them to teach him a lesson. He felt sick.

Chloe walked out of her bedroom, pulling her hair back up into a bun. The noise of her bedroom door opening made Michael spin to face her, the gun in his hand now pointing at her head his eyes fixed staring at her. She froze, something had happened. He threw a phone at her. "Press one and put it on loud speaker." He ordered.

"Michael?" Her voice trembled, "I Don't -"

"Do as I damn well say Chloe." He hissed out the words. He wanted to shout but couldn't, as angry as he was he knew he couldn't bring her security rushing in.

"What is it Mr Westen?" She had done as he asked and now she heard the voice of Michael's boss.

"Release my mother and my friends or I will kill her and you will have to find Simon yourself." The was a harshness in his voice that was terrifying.

"What will that accomplish? Your mother and friends will be dead and if you carry through your threat you'll join them shortly afterwards."

"Let them go." He flicked the safety off. Chloe gasped and shut her eyes.

"Please Michael." She almost whispered the words.

"Shut up. Ottoman I'm waiting." He felt cold. His breathing slowed. He would take the shot, then go through her guards, it would alert their side that Drake Industries was on to their agents. He would continue to hunt them all down, both sides he didn't care, until they killed him. He was preparing himself to go through with the threat.

"Your mother is on her way home." Ottoman finally spoke. "Ms Glenanne and Mr Axe will be released after we have any recordings you have made of your meeting and we have the location of Simon."

Michael didn't move. "If you harm either of them I will find you and kill you." He lowered his gun, Chloe opened her eyes her whole body was shaking.

"You need to leave now." Michael told her. As she hurriedly moved out of the line of fire. The man on the other end of the phone spoke again.

"I will be seeing you very soon Mr Westen, we will get in touch." The line went dead.

After Chloe left, Michael went to walk out of the room nearly bumping into Jesse. One look at Michael's face stopped the younger man in his tracks. "What happened? Have you spoken to Ottoman? Does he have them?"

"My mom's been released, I need you to go round and check she's alright, he says he'll release Sam and Fi when the deal goes through with Chloe. Have you managed to find out anything at all on Ottoman. Anything I can use?"

"Er, sorry, nothing of any use. The only thing I've got is, I don't think the guy whose jerking you around is Reid Ottoman. At least not the Ottoman who was a CIA interrogator. That one died two years ago in Iraq."

Michael couldn't believe it, he had absolutely nothing. "You couldn't tell me that before?" He turned his anger towards Jesse.

"I only found out from a contact in the CIA this morning I thought it could wait. Does it make any difference?"

"No," Michael admitted. If he had known that this morning he would not of altered the plan.

"So what do we do?"

"You stay with my mom, try and get her to stay indoors. I'm going to go back to the loft and wait."

.

Back at the loft Michael pulled out every gun he had, all the ammunition and all every explosive, detonator and fuse. Methodically he cleaned each gun, made sure it was fully loaded and then moved onto the next. Once the guns were ready for use he began to cut the C4 to make as many small bombs as he had detonators. He put each one into a duffle bag and then put the bag next to the guns. Finally he got out the folder that held what information they had gathered and he searched through it for names and potential targets. He stayed up all night.

In the morning he loaded up the Charger with all the weapons, then went to visit Madeline. She was in a state and Michael listened quietly to all her complaints and worries. He apologised for all the worry and before he left he kissed her on the cheek. he told her he had to meet up with Fi and Sam.

It was mid-day when he got a call, it was from Fiona's cell phone. His head dropped into his hand as he heard her voice. They had been released, unharmed. It was sometime before he moved again, realising how close he had come to being another Simon. He heard the gloating voice in his mind. "You're going to end up just like me, just like me."


End file.
